CHILDREN’S GRIEF AWARENESS MONTH – NOVEMBER
My jaw dropped when he made this statement, “One in every 14 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling by the time they are 18 years of age.” “Which means,” he continued, “that during any given year there are over 5 million grieving children in the United States!” I found it hard to comprehend. Every one of those children is now facing daily feelings of loss, anger, loneliness, and confusion. These things will often lead to an inability to concentrate, declining performance in school, and increased participation in at-risk behaviors… unless interested adults make the effort to intervene.
That is why Abba’s Child Grief Camps exists and why we are excited to participate in National Childhood Grief Awareness month! Who knew such a thing existed? Someone, somewhere, decided to declare November as the month to raise awareness about childhood grief and I couldn’t be happier. Knowing that other organizations are also recognizing this huge need is encouraging. It will be even more encouraging if the people closest to me also take a little time to spread the news.
Please join me in doing a few things during the month ahead to bring awareness to the challenges of supporting children and families in grief. Here are a few ideas:
Thank you for your caring about grieving kids. They are a precious group.
Monte Torkelsen – President
Abba’s Child Grief Camps
