Behavior pathway
When Grief Looks Like Silence
A quiet child is not an untroubled child. Silence is one of the most common shapes childhood grief takes. This pathway gathers our guidance for the child who goes still.
Everything on this pathway
Guide
10 Things Caregivers and Surviving Parents Need to Know About Childhood Grief
6 min
Learn
The Child Who Seems Fine
7 min
Learn
When a Child Becomes Too Mature Too Soon
8 min
Milestone
Graduations, Weddings, and the Later Firsts
8 min
Age tier
Grief in Adult Survivors
6 min
Learn
How Caregivers Can Start a Conversation Without Forcing a Child to Talk
6 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
Learn
Re-Grieving: Why Childhood Loss Returns at Different Ages
7 min
Loss type
Suicide Loss
8 min
Loss type
Unknown and Complicated Loss
8 min
Learn
What Father Loss Can Do to a Child's Identity
8 min
Guide
10 Things Caregivers Need to Know When a Child Loses Someone to Violence
5 min
Learn
What Violent Loss Can Do to a Child's Sense of Safety
7 min
Learn
When a Child Thinks God Should Have Stopped It
7 min
Words you can borrow
“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.”
“People may think you are okay because you seem calm. I want you to know you do not have to perform okay with me.”
“You do not have to talk right now, but this is something we are allowed to talk about.”
“I've noticed you seem a little more quiet lately. You do not have to explain it right now. I just want you to know I see you.”