Going Back To School With Grief

There’s never going to be a convenient time to deal with grief and it can affect our daily lives and schedules. When a loved one passes on and you have their services at a East Brunswick, NJ Jewish funeral home, you do what you can to help your children with their grief as you go through their own. However, once school starts up again and children settle into their old routines, they might feel anxious because of their grief. Use these tips to make the transition back to school as easy as possible.  

Tip 1: Talk To Teachers In Advance 

You will want to alert your child’s teachers and perhaps the school’s counselor about the death in your family. They will want to know what’s going on in your child’s life so they can keep an eye out for signs that they are sad. Teachers can only help so much if they don’t know what’s going on.  

Tip 2: Make A Sad Times Plan 

Grief in children is going to come and go, just like it does for adults. There might be days that are harder than others and weeks that are easier. Talk with your child and put a plan into place so they know what to do when they feel those sad emotions overwhelming them. They might approach their teacher, for example, ask to see the school nurse, or head to the counselor’s office. It is also a good idea to keep pick up and drop off routines in place so everything runs as normally as possible.  

Tip 3: Consider Counseling 

It may be hard for your children to talk to you about what they’re feeling, but they might be comfortable talking to a professional who knows how to get to the bottom of their emotions. Consider having them visit the school counselor or another professional to help them through the situation at hand.  

Tip 4: Prepare For Questions 

When your child goes back to school, it’s quite possible they are going to have to field questions from other children. If they don’t want to discuss the loss in their family, practice with them on how to handle the situations that might arise. These discussions are uncomfortable, but your child is better off prepared.  

Tip 5: Allow For Fun 

Above all else, you want your child to feel normal again. They might feel self-conscious about having fun and being happy. Remind them it’s okay to have a good time at school, during recess, and beyond. 

Did you recently attend final services at East Brunswick, NJ Jewish funeral home and now you are worried about your child going back to school? Contact Mount Sinai Memorial Chapels at (732) 390-9199 for help with resources in helping your child with grief. Our professionals are here to help you through this difficult time in any way we can. We’re located at 454 Cranbury Rd, East Brunswick, NJ 08816.