Wednesday, April 2, 2008

What on Earth Do You Do When Someone Dies? Win a copy


I was cleaning part of my office today and was looking at all the books I have on grief and bereavement. I liked this one. This book, What on Earth Do You Do When Someone Dies by Trevor Romain is on how children cope with grief. I have to admit that I'm not one to be at a loss for words. Even the night I told them that Jeff had died the words just came out (not easily, but they came out). Since then, I've been asked many, many questions about death and grief. They had questions about his body, the ground, heaven, the funeral (which I didn't take them too -- they were 6, 4 and 2 and that's not how I wanted them to remember Jeff. Instead their last day with him was in the hospital the day before and they played with him) and a bunch of other things.

For those of you who are at a loss for words, or are looking for an easy way to answer your child's questions, this is a great start. It has Trevor's versions of answers to:

* Why do people have to die?
* Am I going to die, too?
* Who can I talk to?
* What is it like to die?
* Is it my fault?
* Is it okay to have fun?
* How can I say goodbye?
* What happens now?

and more...

Read it together or turn to it when your child has a question. Either way, it's a small book jammed with a lot of information and.....

I'm giving my copy away.

Simply post a comment here -- tell me about your children, your loved one, or just say hi and tell me how you're doing and you'll be entered to win it. You have until April 9th to do so. Then I'll choose a name out of a hat and I'll contact you to let you know you won. If you feel comfortable doing so, put your email address in the comment (you can write it out like this lisawriter (at) msn (dot) com so spammers can't get it. I don't take any responsibility however. Just trying to make the process easier.

I hope everyone is doing well. Me? I'm doing well but have had a few dreams about Jeff recently. I'm glad, but it makes me a bit sad too. Two of my three children are now TALLER than I am! Both are looking into getting jobs and one is getting college brochures now! So I'm still cuddling my 10-year-old, who isn't too far behind (my chin sits on her head now without bending down). But she's still young enough to play with stuffed animals, Webkinz and Bratz dolls. She loves Dylan Sprouse (Disney fame) but isn't into boys yet. When we saw "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" the (unexpected) man's butt shot elicited a huge "ewwwwww" out of her and her friends. Phew. I still have a little time left. I plan on enjoying it.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I'm 38 yrs old. My name is Cathy
my kids are 9, almost 6 and 2
(all boys)
we lost their dad on October 26th. He was in a plane crash in British Columbia. He was on his way home with his dad after completing the final stage of his architectural exams and he became a registered architect that day.
I am 5.5 months out and I just spent 2 weeks with them at spring break. The weirdest moments bring up issues for them. My 9 year old is obsessed with the fact that we cremated his dad. I am having a difficult time with that because I keep repeating that this is what his dad wanted. I haven't told them that their dad's remains are in my BEDROOM! I can't imagine.
I am looking for ideas about memorials and what to do with the ashes. I don't want to spread them, I don't want to really part with them.. so I don't know what to do. any help would be great
c a t h m u m at s h a w . c a

Anonymous said...

I just stumbled upon your site looking for information to share with my daughter. She is now 4, her daddy, my wonderful husband, was killed in an accident May 11, 2007. She has so many questions about Heaven, when will we go there, etc. We still both grieve and it helps so much to know there are others out there who understand. jkssf@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I lost my husband on October 4, 2003. My daughters were 6, 3 and 5weeks old. My middle daughter is now having the hardest time. She was actually on his lap when it all happened. She fell on the floor - he still had hold of her shirt. I think she is finally realizing that her daddy is not coming back and is having a very difficul time with it. My oldest still has her bad days but she understands the most. My youngest on the other hand, doesn't remember him, so I am sure that her days will be coming once school starts and she sees all the daddy's her friends have.
pfisher@fuse.net