Misconception: Grief has a Timeline

Reality: Grief doesn’t have a defined end date. It’s a process and it’s different for everyone. A child whose parent has died is likely to “revisit” grief as they reach new developmental levels. For example, a girl who loses her mother when she’s in middle school might experience intense grief as she starts to develop physically, goes on her first date, graduates or gets married. Children may “puddle jump” from one feeling to another very quickly. They will often experience a variety of feelings that are very different from one another. Grief forms in many different ways such as when a child is able to play happily with friends.