It seems like each fall the number of children that enter foster care shoots up with the start of school. This is probably due to teachers and other school officials making reports of abuse and neglect.
One of the issues that we may need to watch for as foster and adoptive parents is developmental grieving or grief that is triggered by anniversaries. A child may not remember the events of that day but somewhere in his body he remembers the trauma of being removed from the home and having to be temporarily or permanently uprooted. We may see behaviors on the anniversary of the move into state's custody, other traumatic events in the child's life, birthdays, or holidays.
To help the child cope try a few of these 8 ideas.
What have your done to help a child grieve? Are there anniversaries of grief that have surprised you?
Click "comments" below and share your ideas.
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Suggested Reading:
Steps to Understanding Grief and Loss in Children
Elements that Impact a Foster or Adopted Child's Grief
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