One thing to consider in your efforts to support your grieving child is the roles that were played by the individual who your child is missing. Did that person provide practical support or emotional support? Did they offer wisdom and advice? Did they bring fun to your child’s life? When you spend time to think through the roles that they played, you will gain greater awareness of all that your child is missing and feeling. This will then guide your thinking about how to meet your child’s current needs.
While no one can replace the person that your child is missing, other people may be able to step in and fill in at least some aspects of the roles that that person played. For example, if your child is missing a grandparent and that grandparent often took your child on fun adventures, can an aunt or an uncle take your child on fun adventures? Are there other caring adults in your child’s life who might be available to offer wisdom and emotional support? Again, this is not to replace the grandparent by any means but to help your child to continue to enjoy positive experiences with caring adults.
Of course, this means that you may need to ask for help and support on behalf of your child, which can feel daunting! But the more that your child is surrounded by genuine, caring individuals and the more that your child’s needs are met, the more safe and secure your child will feel in their grief journey…and that is a worthy goal!