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"I miss you. No -- that's not enough."

Grief in Eurydice

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How do children process grief?

  • Denial of death and avoidance of grief;

  • Sensitivity around special times of year;

  • Anger toward surviving family members;

  • Feeling guilt or blame;

  • Prolonged fear of being alone;

  • Acting much younger;

  • Believing they are talking to or seeing the deceased family member for an extended period of time;

  • Wanting to join the dead person.

Source: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

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Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (2025)

"Every night when a curtain comes down, a world dies. The world of present relation dies, and one mourns the end by applauding."

~ Sarah Ruhl, "Theater as a preparation for death" (100 Essays)

Invisible Suitcase: A metaphor used to conceptualize the emotional and psychological effects of life's hardships that people carry with them.

Grief at different stages of childhood:​

Impacts on adult relationships:​

"Greek tragedies revolved around characters who’d lost parents, siblings, children. And although those bereaved characters responded to loss in different ways, a common pattern quickly emerged: mourning took the form of a plot.”

~ Angus Fletcher, "Heal From Grief" (Wonderworks)

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Children's books on missing a parent:

“A Walk in the Woods,” by Nikki Grimes, Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney

“Empty and Me: A Tale of Friendship and Loss,” by Azam Mahdavi. Illustrated by Maryam Tahmasebi. Translated by Parisa Saranj.

“Mouseboat,” by Larissa Theule. Illustrated by Abigail Halpin.

Source: The New York Times Book Review

Image: For Jude For Everyone

© 2026 by Madelyn Streisfeld. Carnegie Mellon School of Drama's Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl.

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