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Helping Children Grieve
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Hundreds of thousands of children experience the death of a loved one every year. It’s never easy to deal with death, but with kids it can be especially hard because they don’t always know how to cope with their grief. Now there’s a camp where kids who’ve lost loved ones can go to learn how to grieve. Allysa Adams Reports. |
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SCRIPT:
Laughter comes easily to this 6-year-old. So does affection.
Paige Tummond: “I love you; I love you; I love you.”
But Paige Tummond has had to deal with a lot of sadness in her short life.
Paige Tummond: “My dad died on May 3rd.”
Camp Volunteer: “And how did your daddy die?”
Paige Tummond: “Suicide.”
It’s tough to know how to react when a child says something like this. But at Camp Paz, they seem to know just what to say.
Dr. Charles Finch / Director, Camp Paz: “As a child, sometimes they just don’t understand who to talk to, when to talk about it and how to talk about this process of grief.”
Grieving is a natural journey. But kids often need help finding their way. So today, at this United Methodist Church in Phoenix, they’re getting a hand.
The games and crafts all have a purpose. Kids often center their grief around anger, so bring in the drums. And even rotten fruit.
Paige Tummond: “I just kind of think about the anger and, when I hit the fruit, I kind of feel happy again. I don’t feel angry anymore.”
Hope is also a big message at Camp Paz.
The Rev. Jim Wiltbank / First United Methodist Church, Phoenix: “We try to tap into where is their hope; where is their comfort. And it’s not a learned thing, but it’s something beyond that. It’s an innate faith that is within us.”
And if you ask Paige what she’ll take home from Camp Paz, it’s simple — friendship.
Paige Tummond: “When someone understands your feelings, it makes you happier because they understand.”
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Guilt is also a big issue for kids dealing with death, so at Camp Paz they make sure kids know it’s OK to have fun guilt-free. Camp Paz is run through an organization called Stepping Stones of Hope, which offers many services for kids and families dealing with death. For more information, go to their Web site, www.camppaz.com.