Episode 371 - Helping Little Ones through Grief and Loss with Annie F. Downs and Tatum Green
How do we begin to help young children understand loss? What can we do to help little ones grieve while we are walking through it alongside them?
For author, speaker, and podcaster Annie F. Downs, these questions became real when her infant nephew, TJ, passed away from a severe medical condition less than two months after he was born. Wanting to help her sister, Tatum Green, and her young son, Sam, process through this loss, Annie did what she was uniquely gifted to do. She wrote Sam a book to help him as he tried to grasp the loss of his little brother. Once it was written, Annie and Tatum knew that this book needed to be offered to other families beyond theirs who were trying to figure out through how to walk young kids through unimaginable losses and so together, they created the final version, “Where did TJ Go? A Book for Kids on Grief and Loss”. In it, they help children ask the hard questions that can come when they lose someone they love and find hope through the Gospel.
In this honest conversation, Davey sits with Annie and Tatum to talk about how a loss impacts a whole family, the best ways we can show up for those we love in their grief, and what we learn about the mystery of God through the rawness of our struggles and questions.
If you or someone you love is trying to navigate how to guide a young child through loss, this episode will encourage you that while it can be hard and difficult, simply giving kids the space to ask tough questions and talk about what they are feeling is the first step in walking them through the pain of grief and finding hope along the way.
“When you really dial down on what you’re hoping for, it teaches you what to grieve and what to pursue.”
-Annie F. Downs
“The deepest, most intimate, mature version of faith is going to God with my raw frustration, anger, disappointment, confusion and gratitude.”
-Tatum Green
Website: anniefdowns.com
Instagram: instagram.com/anniefdowns
Facebook: facebook.com/anniefdowns
Book: Where did TJ Go? A Book for Kids on Grief and Loss
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