Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.
Louisa May Alcott
William Worden and others conducted a two-year study – the Harvard Child Bereavement Study – on the effects of the death of a parent on children. Worden presented the findings from that study in the book Children and Grief: When a Parent Dies.
While styles of grieving differ among children – just as they do among adults, the developmental stages of children also give rise to specific needs that adults should be aware of and be prepared to help address. William Worden has recognized 10 of these.
