Dr. Linda Holloway is a professor at Alabama State University with over 30 years of teaching experience. She wanted to develop books that could be used to help counselors, social workers, mental health professionals, teachers, administrators, families, churches, and funeral homes discuss the concept of loss with children. When we think of divorce, we do not always think of loss in the same way we think of loss when it comes to death. However, with both of these events, children experience an incredible amount of grief.
With divorce, children have to learn how to navigate the loss of their parents being together, and with death, children have to adjust to life without the other person. Such events can take a toll on our children’s mental health if not properly attended to.
It is reported that 50% of marriages will end in divorce. Divorce for children is a very pivotal moment in children’s lives. It represents a time of instability, a loss of the family unit as they once knew it, and it impacts children’s perspective of what a family can look like. The consequences of divorce can be innumerable for children, leaving them with a range of emotions: anger, sadness, frustration, surprise, loneliness, depression, and much anxiety.
Additionally, children in today’s society are having to cope with death at an alarming rate. It is believed that approximately 6 million U.S. children will die without a parent by the time they are 18. In addition, as many as 1 out of 12 U.S. children will have experienced the death of a sibling by the age of 18. Childhood grief plays a tremendous role in impacting the developmental functions of children in the areas of academic achievement, relationships, substance use, mental distress, and suicide.
Therefore, Dr. Holloway thought it was imperative to create these books as a point of reference to start conversations with children about loss and how to cope with losses. The titles of her two books are Little Miss Linda Copes with Divorce and Little Miss Linda Speaks Out About Death.
Even though divorce and death can be the most challenging subjects to have with children, you will find both of these books are very warm and inviting when addressing these topics. The divorce book about Little Miss Linda entails her parents informing her they are getting a divorce while reassuring her they will be there to help with any questions she might have. Thus, they help her create a We Love You Jar, where Little Miss Linda gets to put any questions she might have in the jar for both her parents to provide answers to. The death book about Little Miss Linda entails her being told by her mother she only has 7 months to live and decides to create memorable moments together.
This book addresses many questions Little Miss Linda has about death. Both books include Learning Out Loud questions for children to discuss about the books. Additionally, there are more questions included to engage in deeper discussion on both divorce and death. Lastly, to make the book a bit more interactive and lighthearted as possible, Dr. Holloway included scavenger hunts in both books.
The books are available for purchase on Amazon.
This news was first reported by Blacknews.com
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