Children’s Grief Awareness Week (16th-23rd November) is a special time focused on supporting grieving children and young people.
At Holding On Letting Go, we understand that it’s sometimes hard to know what to say to someone who is bereaved. You don’t want to say nothing but you also don’t want to say the wrong thing or cause any upset.

This year, the theme is ‘The Shape of Your Support’.  The aim is to focus on the people around a bereaved child or young person (beyond their friends or family) that can be there to support them through their grief.
Knowing what to say and do if you are outside of the child’s family or close friends, helps the child to navigate their grief.

Here are a few tips on what NOT to say to a child or their family if they are bereaved:

• Are you looking forward to Christmas?
• At least he/she lived for xxx number of weeks/months/years
• He/she is in a better place
• There is a reason for everything
• It has been a year, aren’t you over it yet?
• God wanted a special angel
• I know how you feel
• They did what they came here to do and it was time to go
• Be strong

If you or your family need our help and support, just get in touch.

Please also take a look at our blogs that might give you a few ideas of how you can be confident in your support too.

How to make the last Christmas with a loved one special
How can my family enjoy Christmas when we’re grieving?
How to help a grieving friend or relative through Christmas
How to help your bereaved child at Christmas