Our Departed

How To Help
The bereaved parents should constantly remind themselves to be sensitive to the feelings of the surviving children.
The parents should strive to maintain as much of a normal routine as possible for the survivors.
The parents should encourage grieving, openness and the expression of feelings in the children by grieving openly and expressively in front of them.
Reassure them that they are not going to die, too.
Reassure them that they are loved, wanted and okay.
Reassure them that they did not cause the death in any way.
Give lots of physical reassurance in the way of touching and hugs.
Contact the teacher/teachers or school counselors.
Ask them what and how they would like the school to be told.
Prepare them for questions and remarks they can expect at school.
Encourage them to resume their normal activities at their own pace.
Remember the sibling's birthday and anniversary of the death.
Remember the sibling at special family gatherings and functions.
Don't be afraid to talk about the child that died.
Talk about all the qualities of the child that died--positive and negative.
Talk about the differences between the siblings--good and bad.
Don't promise them a replacement sibling with talks of having another child.
Remember: surviving siblings cannot become, or replace, the deceased brother or sister.

TLC Group grants anyone the right to use this information without compensation so long as the copy is not used for profit or as training materials in a profit making activity such as workshops, lectures, and seminars, and so long as this paragraph is retained in its entirety.

http://www.counselingforloss.com/article3.htm