Helping Your Preschooler Grieve Every once in a while, 3-year-
old Zachary goes to sleep clutching a picture of "Poppa," his
maternal grandfather. Zachary's mother, Hannah, says he was very
close to his Poppa. Last October, Zachary's grandfather
unexpectedly died. Hannah, like many parents, worried about
grieving in front of her son and the effect her emotional state
would have on him. "I tried to be open about my grief because I
think it's more harmful to hide it. Children sense when you're
trying to hide something." Hannah was right. Sometimes, well-
meaning adults try to hide their grief from children, not
wanting to upset them, but it's much healthier to allow children
to observe how adults handle grief. Danny Mize, Director of The
Kid's Place, a grieving center, advises parents to let their
children see family members mourning. "Model your own feelings
related to your grief," says Mize. Children between the ages of
2 and 5 do not know how to respond to the loss of a loved one
and will take cues from other