Parenting Pointers: Talking with Children about Death and Loss

Families everywhere are facing loss in ways they never have before. For some, these losses are hitting closer to home with the deaths of loved ones; but all families are experiencing some amount of loss - a normal semblance of day-to-day life, the cancellation of anticipated celebrations, vacations, camps and more. As parents seek advice and resources to navigate this newly uncharted territory, they're turning to trusted brands like PJ Library to help draw a roadmap of the "new normal" of quarantine - as well as a toolkit for having more difficult conversations with children about death and dying, mourning and remembrance.

On May 6th at 3:30pm ET, PJ Library will host a public webinar, "Talking with Children about Death and Loss in the Age of the Coronavirus." This streaming video discussion will be free to families everywhere, helping them tackle one of the hardest subjects to deal with as a parent, approached through the lens of Jewish teaching and values.

 

Anyone may register for this webinar at https://bit.ly/3bHUHip.

 

Rabbi Melanie Levav, Director of

PJ Library in New York, will lead the webinar, facilitated by Sarah Ruderman Wilensky, Director of Organizational Partnerships at PJ Library. Parents will hear a developmentally appropriate framework for fielding children's questions and addressing complicated concepts. Rabbi Levav and Wilensky both wear many hats - chaplain, social worker, educator, child development specialist, Jewish professional - and they are also both parents, making this webinar salient and applicable.

"Talking about death is really talking about life. And talking about death can be life-giving," says Rabbi Levav. "Removing the stigma is essential; speaking openly and often about death and dying at every age can help us gain a greater appreciation for life."

 

Through this webinar, families will be able to: 

• Learn about the resources that are available to them around this topic
• Hear from experts with backgrounds in pastoral care, social work, education, and child development
• Ask questions in advance and in real time of experts in the field
• Feel less alone in their fears and discomfort
• Find a useful vocabulary for having conversations with children around these topics
• Communicate to PJ Library what Jewish families still need at this time. 

"PJ Library is a trusted resource that empowers parents to have meaningful conversations with their children. While many of those conversations are normally filled with joy and curiosity, right now we know that parents are struggling to talk about death and loss. We will continue to be there for our families, hearing their needs, and doing what we can to help make these times a little less overwhelming," says Meredith Lewis, Director of Content, Education, and Family Experience, PJ Library.  

PJ Library wants to make sure that they're addressing family's most pressing concerns, so please submit questions HERE; questions will also be fielded live during the webinar.

 

About The Harold Grinspoon Foundation/PJ Library

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation operates programs that strive to strengthen the Jewish community by nurturing new generations, cultivating legacy giving, and investing in experiences that impact Jewish continuity. To learn more, visit: www.hgf.org

PJ Library is an award-winning program started by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation that sends free Jewish children's books to families of diverse Jewish background, observance, and knowledge. Adults and kids ages 6 months through age 12 can explore Jewish values and traditions together through engaging stories. PJ Library has partnerships with philanthropists and local Jewish organizations in nearly 200 communities in the U.S. and Canada and sends books to families in 22 countries around the world. To learn more, visit: www.pjlibrary.org.