I'm just putting together the final teaching materials for my upcoming course about grieving kids, and I thought about something I just wrote for www.adishofkindness.blogspot.com
The story is about baseball parties, and baked beans at 'end of the school year' celebrations. In the blog, I wrote:
" In the
Meantime, beans are wonderfully
nutritious; they are high in fibre and iron, low in saturated fat and a good
alternative to meat. However, they can be difficult to digest. Friends and
family who are grieving, or under a lot of stress, often have digestive systems
that are a bit compromised – better to save the beans for sharing at potlucks,
and fun celebrations..."
Grieving kids may find that their appetites change daily. We all know how poor nutrition affects learning - the same applies for kids who aren't eating because of the physiological and psychological consequences of acute loss. This is an additional challenge to all the other issues getting in the way of their being successful at shool.
How can we help? Offering them nutritious snacks that we've tucked away in our desk, or containers of chocolate milk we've stashed in the staff fridge ( chocolate milk has a near perfect balance of protein and carbs); all those things we do to support kids who are malnourished.
Taking care of grieving kids isn't just about taking care of their emotional needs; it's also about practical interventions for their physical health as well. Sometimes, we just need to feed them.
Just not beans.
I'm looking forward to meeting a number of you on Thursday, May 10th as we start the new online course, Walking and Talking with Kids about Death and Dying. If you'd still like to register, the link is programs.ldmonline.ca
Again,let me know what I can do to support you in your work with grieving kids.
Warmly
Wendy
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