... Carley, age three, has slept in her own bed ever since she was two years old. Now, since the death of her father a year ago, she not only wets the bed, but also tries to consistently sleep in the room with her mother. Jacob is five years old. He constantly plays like he is going on a trip to visit his Uncle Sam in heaven. These three children are different ages and have lost different role models in their lives, but they share one thing in common. All three are experiencing the grieving process. The grieving process in children differs very much from the grieving process of an adult. This must be taken into consideration by Early Childhood Educators when teaching children how to cope with this grieving process, as it is an Early Childhood Educator’s role to ensure that all children develop healthy emotional and social habits (Clarissa A., 2002) . To develop these healthy habits, it is essential that Early Childhood Educators know how a child’s concept of death is constructed, which gives caregivers and educators important information and helps them respond more sensitively to what children might feel and experience (Clarissa A., 2002). The online journal article, called “The Grieving Process in Children: Strategies for Understanding, Educating, and Reconciling Children's Perceptions of Death” (Clarissa A., 2002), clearly gives an overview of how children understand death, and suggestions for educators about how to help children through grief and loss. The website, www...
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...between 100,000 to 150,000 children born in the United States with a genetic disorder or defect. This represents approximately 20% of infant deaths each year. However, many of these children live to age well beyond the expectation, and some are enrolled in hospice. According to Armstrong-Daily and Zarbock (2001), “The concept of hospice today is applied to patients who are traveling through the final stages of their lives-in effect seeking shelter and comfort.” Hence, the main focus of this program is to prepare families for the death of a loved one. Although accepting these services is optional, families suddenly faced with the harsh reality that adulthood or even adolescence is not in their child’s future are in need of support services that offer much more than the comfort of a shoulder to cry on. There is an urgent need for organizations that strive to assist parents in helping the child to reach his or her full potential while encouraging loved ones to celebrate and cherish the time spent without the constant reminder that death is near. Caring for a child with a disability can be challenging. Immediately upon the child’s initial discharge from the hospital, life changes drastically. Parents are instantly bombarded with phone call from social workers, medical supply companies, and nursing staff for updates about the child’s condition and progress. Because the child requires constant medical attention, it is essential to begin searching for specialists to assist with...
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...Since that night, I have considered how parents respond when a child dies. Given the complexity and gravity of individual human responses, I hope is that this paper will provide insight into my experience as well as help members of families and friends to better understand how the loss of a child affects parents and siblings while highlighting ways to provide meaningful support. For most bereaved parents, the consequences of the death of a child cannot adequately be expressed in words. Despite extreme efforts to empathize, those who have not experienced a child's death cannot fully know what it is like. However, I have found that knowledge surrounding bereavement can provide a helpful glimpse of understanding, as well as ideas for how to respond to parents and needs when their child dies. For most people, our family defines who we are. We do not identify ourselves simply as mothers, fathers, spouses, in-laws, or grandparents, but as family members. For example, "I am not a mother of 3 children. I am a mother of Haley, Emma and Brent." A child's death challenges our sense of identity. It is best summed up by a quote I read from a bereavement scholar who stated, "The process of mourning for one's child involves not only dealing with loss of the loved child, but with the loss of part of one's self." Parents who identify strongly with their roles as mothers or fathers often...
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...suggestive imagery and direct speech “ I was with you in agony, remember your promise of paradise, and hammers and hammers, “remember me” Gwen Harwood addresses her audience, manipulating them to determine their personal feelings on what she is saying. • The use of third person portrays an objective feel about the poem, restricting the level of conversational feeling. It increases the sense of detachment. • “Their blood-black curtains tight” Is alliteration combined with negative connotation to extenuate human’s blindness to occurrences in life? At Mornington ANALYSIS • Is a reflection on the nature of being, life and death. • Explores the ability of memories to transcend death. • Fragility and nature of memories is questioned, while it is concluded that through memories one can accept death “waters that bear me away forever”. • FATHER AND...
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...differs in many aspects from adult depression. Decrease in academic performance, withdrawal and rejection of friends and favorite activities are some of the main unrecognized signs. Some may also exhibit hyperactivity, while others complain of exhaustion and illness. Many times these symptoms are thought to be just a phase in their children, and observed as signs of depression. Children of all ages from infancy through adolescence can suffer from a disorder mood. The symptoms tend to change based on the child's level of development. Depression in infants is often determined based on the child’s failure to grow physically, act unresponsively, and inability to thrive. Although it is rarely seen in babies, it is often due to lack of nurturing relationship between the infant and the caregiver. Postpartum depression has the ability to affect the mood of the infant. It affects approximately 25-30% of mothers and is typically caused by a separation, illness, death, or a broken bond. These mothers tend to show less affection towards their child. Babies are sometimes rejected because they are unwanted, premature or abnormal. Preschoolers are more restless, self-isolating, aggressive, and overwhelmed by sleeplessness and nightmares and are less adaptive to make friends or follow...
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...events that can be considered major losses (Harvey and Weber 1998). Loss weather personal, material, or symbolic will affect us all, children too can face different levels and types of losses (Hooyman and Kramer, 2006; Viorist, 1986) cited in The Person Health and Wellbeing,(1st ed.,pp.211). There is a misconception in our society that children cannot understand or have little knowledge about death. But children of various ages and stages understand death and loss in different ways. (TRAUMA AND LOSS: Research and Interventions, Volume 3, Number 1, 2003) Jean Piaget cognitive stages of development in children are proved to be very important in children’s understanding of death, dying and grief. Childhood grief and development factors are interrelated: the age and stage of development of a child at the time of his or her parent’s death will strongly influence the ways in which the child reacts and adapts to the loss.( Garber, 1988, p. 272) The Death of a Parent: Healing Children’s Grief September( 3rd, 2009);Beth Patterson, MA, LP) A child Understanding of Death A child understanding of death occurs in the age 5-7, when according to Piaget’s theory child progress through preoperational stage of development to concrete-operational stage. (Kenyon 2001 cited in The Person Health and Well Being, 1st ed., pp272). A 5 year old child who is at preoperational stage, is egocentric, focuses on one thing at a time, inanimate things can be alive, magical thinking – Child believes that just...
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...XXXXX XXXXX British Literature 6 May, 2013 The Perception of War Through the Eyes of a Child J. G. Ballard’s literary work, Empire of the Sun, is a novel about a child’s experiences while living in Shanghai, China during World War II. Throughout the novel, Jim, an eleven-year old British lad, is forced to deal with a variety of issues related to the war. The brutal hardships, pain, and death associated with war typically take a massive toll on adults, wearing them down. Yet, in many young children and adolescents, it is often as if war is perceived as almost being a movie or a time of imagination. Adults and children often differ in their points of view regarding war and even deal with such events differently. However, regardless of one’s view of war, change still ensues and there is no escaping that harsh reality. Initially, Jim, the main character, is very young and very naive about the world and the ensuing war. Jim starts out as a young innocent lad, imagining how exciting it would be to be a fighter pilot, just like the Japanese pilots that fly over the city. Jim is very naïve as the only life he has ever known is one of privilege. This is because Jim was born into the class of the elite rich, who often looked down upon the Chinese and Japanese peasants that would plead for money in the streets. Jim even states, “All over the western suburbs people were wearing fancy dress, as if Shanghai had become a city of clowns” (p. 10). ...
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...coldness of the air sing a song to you. When you are struck down by a disease, is that not your soul singing to you, when you bite into a juicy red apple does not that apple sing to your body. All things sing songs of joy and sorrow the songs of joy bring happiness and pleasure and the songs of sorrow bring wisdom and learning, so stop and listen, do not resist, do not run away. Listen to the mosquito buzzing in your ear, the tree swaying gently in the breeze and the songs of hot and cold. As a tear drips from your eye it sings its song of sorrow, as a smile comes to your lips it sings its song of joy, as the wind blows through your hair it sings its song of freedom. As the bee thrusts its sting deep into your flesh it sings its song of death, and as the newborn opens its eyes it sings its song of life. These are the songs of joy and sorrow wisdom and learning all will strike you deep within, all will strike you deep within, all will help you learn, if you will but stop and listen to the song within. Pain We stand in the winds of confusion and know not the Way. As the world swirls around its hive of doings, each heart set upon its elected course. We look upon the sorry at heart and see injustice piled upon the sway of malice, the ship of dreams set upon the sea of hope to be crushed again upon the rock of wickedness. From this vision of misery and injustice is my heart hardened with anger and vengeance, drawn like a bee to the sweet scent of justice. Just once for justice must...
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...Death Studies, 36: 1–22, 2012 Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0748-1187 print=1091-7683 online DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2011.553312 BEREAVEMENT EXPERIENCES OF MOTHERS AND FATHERS OVER TIME AFTER THE DEATH OF A CHILD DUE TO CANCER RIFAT ALAM Department of Psychology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada MARU BARRERA Department of Psychology, Haematology=Oncology Program, Child Health Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada NORMA D’AGOSTINO Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Survivorship Program, Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada DAVID B. NICHOLAS Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada GERALD SCHNEIDERMAN Department of Psychiatry, Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada The authors investigated longitudinally bereavement in mothers and fathers whose children died of cancer. Thirty-one parents were interviewed 6 and 18 months post-death. Analyses revealed parental differences and changes over time: (a) employment—fathers were more work-focused; (b) grief reactions—mothers expressed more intense grief reactions that lessened over time; (c) coping—mothers were more child-focused, fathers more task-focused; (d) relationship with bereaved siblings—mothers actively nurtured relationship with child;...
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...Life and Death in Wordsworth’s “We Are Seven” As a romantic poet and a lover of nature and humanity, William Wordsworth wrote often about life and death. His lyrical ballad “We Are Seven” looks at these issues from the perspective of both an adult and a child, posing the question of whether death truly separates the living from the departed. Wordsworth had a strong family tie with his sister, Dorothy, and an affinity for the world of nature, in which he spent much of his childhood. The happy memories of playing in and exploring the natural world inspired him throughout his life, and he maintained a close relationship with Dorothy. This feeling of family closeness, combined with his vision of children as creatures attuned to nature and untouched by the cares of adult life, is evident in “We Are Seven.” The poet begins by juxtaposing the attributes and promise of a child’s life with the specter of death: A simple Child, That lightly draws its breath, And feels its life in every limb, What should it know of death? (Wordsworth 1-4) Wordsworth presents the image of an innocent child, an eight-year-old girl that he, as the poem’s narrator, encounters on a walk through the countryside. By describing her as possessing “a rustic, woodland air” (9), he evokes a feeling of the unadulterated innocence of the natural world, unspoiled by the interference of civilized society. The narrator, who is evidently a practical-minded gentleman, questions the little girl about the size of her...
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...Death and Dying and Loses in Children Debra Mayers HNG 577: Dr. Sprung 10/28/2012 Death and Dying and Losses in Children * The death of a parent is one of the most difficult events a child might face. * It prematurely exposes the child to the unpredictability of life and the tenuous nature of daily existence. * Children loosing something or someone can significantly change his or her lives. * Helping children understand the dying process will enable one to understand the grieving process. * If children cannot understand the grieving process, it can alter their lives and create unhealthy habits into adulthood. (Bushardt, Reamer & Taylor, 2011). Loss and Grief * Grief is a natural reaction to loss and is ongoing for children developmental process. * Children reacts to grief is different and may be influenced by many factors. * Children s’ perceptions of death reflects on their understanding and maturity. * Children’s maturity depends on their age, cognitive ability, and their existing experiences with life. * Children responding to death are strongly influenced by socialization and their understanding and the maturity level of that individual child. (Heath, Leavy, Hansen, Ryan, Lawrence, & Sonntag, 2008). Issues Facing Families * Teachers and family care providers, family members and counselors can create an environment that supports the children emotional needs. * When educators create that environment with...
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...Confounding Ethical Dilemmas All children are brought into this world and deserve to have an adult act in their best interest. There are several factors that influence the way that their caregiver makes decisions about the child’s education, religious teachings, and health care (Purtilo & Doherty, 2011). Religious beliefs can affect the decision-making process regarding the type of medical care that the parent is willing to let physicians perform (Purtilo & Doherty, 2011). An example of this are individuals that practice the Christian Science religion (New York Times, 2016). This religion teaches the parishioners that all illnesses are caused by fear, a disconnection from God, and mental factors (New York Times, 2016). Parents of children that practice Christian Science believe that when their child is ill that spiritual healing will cure the child (New York Times, 2016). The parents will have an expert spiritual healer from the church come to help them cope and figure out the mental roots of the illness (New York Times, 2016). The case of a child that has divorced parents that are not in agreement about medical treatment for a seriously ill child creates an ethical dilemma (Purtilo & Doherty, 2011). The dilemma that the physician faces is whether to withhold treatment per the mother’s request due to religious beliefs or provide treatment per the biological father’s request (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2016). Health care professionals should override religious beliefs when...
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...change that makes an individual better adapted to the environment, by enhancing the individual’s ability to engage in, understand, and experience more complex behavior, thinking and emotions.” (Ailish Gill, 2012, p.166). In addition, these developments are associated with theories such as Piaget and Eriksons, which clarify the stage of cognitive growth (Ailish Gill, 2012, p.191) and psychosocial crisis, involving transitions in important social relationships (Ailish Gill, 2012, p.189). Furthermore, this essay will discuss the fundamental factors of how a 5-year-old conceptualizes and displays developmental factors through their response to loss and how the child is influenced from a cognitive and psychosocial perspective, which displays perceptions of their loss and how they cope with the change. According to Ailison Gill (2012) “Cognitive-developmental theory is concerned with what goes on in people’s minds: how they learn, reason, solve problems, understand language, explain themselves and experiences and beliefs.” (p.191) Piaget theory addresses cognitive-developmental theory by identifying four stages of growth. Theses include: “sensorimotor stage (birth to age 2), preoperational stage (ages 2 to 7), concrete operational stage (ages 7 to 11) and formal operational stage (age 11 and beyond)”. (Ailish Gill, 2012, p.191-192). Cognitive-development is primarily focused on preoperational stage for a 5-year-old. From the Person Health and Wellbeing book, Ailish Gill (2012) stated...
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...Also, there are friends who are a company for entertainment while others help one to develop socially. Friendships or friends are mostly evaluated on these categories and each category is important for the fulfillment of an individual. However, true friends are appreciated for who they are but not for what they can offer. Weighing friendship from the materialistic approach is misleading. As Aristotle said, true friends are everything that a person needs, they are a sure haven. The loss of true friends can be viewed as a permanent drawback for an individual since whatever such a friend could prompt a person to do will remain an unexploited potential. The final loss of a true friend occurs in death. As long as a friend is alive, relationships can always be maintained even overseas, but death takes away friends never to bring them back, even when they are needed the most. Thinking about friendship, the question arises, why do people find it impossible to recover from losing a friend? Friends come by at any stage in life. Why then should a person hold on to memories of a friend who left never to return? The answer is simple; the nobility of true friendship makes it impossible to recover from the loss and makes a person keep the memories of lost friends. I had a childhood friend, Sara, who passed away when we were in high school. Sara could fall into all categories of friendship, but her...
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...Media Socialization of Death New movies have a lot of violence and bloodshed. “With television, analysis of programming for 20 years (1973-1993) […], the level of violence in prime-time programming remained at about 5 violent acts per hour” (Gerdes 20). The fact is, the media show an immense amount of death and killing and pass it off as if it’s no big deal. The media socialize children with death to the point that parents no longer need to. Kids are exposed to death at a very early age. Children accept truth and facts from the media much faster than from adults. Finally, murders involving children and young adults have reached all time highs in recent years. First, kids are exposed to death at a very early age. During the 18th century, children were looked at very differently than they are now. They were looked at as economic liabilities which live in a sort of vicarious bubble. This means that they can play and help with chores, however they are not developed enough to understand complicated concepts such as death. Children were shielded from death and developed no thoughts or opinions on it until later in life. Children’s understanding of death in the 21st century is completely different. Children as young as three realize that death exists and may or may not be final; children as young as five understand that death is final (Children & Adolescents). The reason children understand death at such young ages is due to the media opening them up to it. This...
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