Age pathway
Grief in Ages 13–18
Teens grieve with a foot in two worlds, needing to be both ordinary and changed. Some act fine with real skill. This pathway collects our guidance for the teen years.
Everything on this pathway
Milestone
The First Holiday Season
7 min
Guide
10 Things Caregivers and Surviving Parents Need to Know About Childhood Grief
6 min
Milestone
Going Back to School
7 min
Learn
Re-Grieving: Why Childhood Loss Returns at Different Ages
7 min
Learn
The Child Who Seems Fine
7 min
Milestone
The First Anniversary
7 min
Loss type
Unknown and Complicated Loss
8 min
Loss type
Violent Loss
8 min
Learn
When a Child Becomes Too Mature Too Soon
8 min
Learn
When a Child Thinks God Should Have Stopped It
7 min
Guide
10 Things Caregivers Need to Know When a Child Loses Someone to Violence
5 min
Loss type
Accident and Sudden Death
7 min
Milestone
Graduations, Weddings, and the Later Firsts
8 min
Learn
How Caregivers Can Start a Conversation Without Forcing a Child to Talk
6 min
Loss type
Illness Loss
7 min
Loss type
Incarceration and Absence
8 min
Guide
Just Because Loss Is Common Doesn't Make It Normal
3 min
Milestone
Mother's Day and Father's Day
7 min
Loss type
Suicide Loss
8 min
Milestone
The First Birthdays
7 min
Learn
What Father Loss Can Do to a Child's Identity
8 min
Learn
What Violent Loss Can Do to a Child's Sense of Safety
7 min
Learn
When Grief Looks Like Silence
6 min
Words you can borrow
“You may understand this loss differently as you get older. We can keep talking about it.”
“Sometimes grief comes back at different times. That does not mean anything is wrong with you.”
“I know this moment may make you think about your father again. I am here for that conversation.”
“I know people may think you are okay because you are doing your normal things. I also know losing someone can feel different on the inside than it looks on the outside.”
“You do not have to talk right now. I just want you to know this is something we are allowed to talk about.”
“I notice you have been holding a lot in. You do not have to carry all of it by yourself.”