Children are sensitive, but they often struggle to share their emotions because they can’t fully process complex emotions and situations.

So, when a child loses someone they love who served in uniform, it changes everything for them instantly.

The world suddenly feels heavier, quieter, and a lot less safe.

Communicating their feelings becomes difficult, slowing the healing process. Each child also processes loss differently. Some cry, others get angry, and some just go quiet.

It’s a parent or guardian’s role to help their child come to terms with the loss of a loved one in uniform.

It’s your role to stay close, to listen, and to give them room to process their emotions.

And lastly, you must form a bond and convey to them through words that you are there for them.

How the Loss of a Military Parent Affects Children

The loss of a military parent or a loved one in uniform manifests in different ways. For some, the mundaneness of daily life feels like a hassle. They also struggle to share their emotions with their friends because of the fear of judgment. Even family get-togethers can serve as painful reminders of their loss.

Many Gold Star kids say they feel alone in their grief, which is hardly surprising because these feelings can be challenging for anyone, but they are particularly overwhelming for a young child or teenager.

Ways to Help Kids Cope With Grief

Grief takes time to heal, but children need coping mechanisms. They need places where they feel safe and protected and activities that occupy their idling minds. Music is an excellent way to help them cope with grief.

We believe the guitar can help. Being able to strum a few notes can help children overcome melancholy and divert their grief into something more productive. Each chord is a reminder that their voice still matters.

As a registered nonprofit organization, our mission is simple. We collect donations to purchase guitars for military kids coping with the loss of a loved one. We then provide them with guitars and some basic skills to express themselves through music. After all, music is nourishment for the soul, and it can help them come to terms with the complex emotions they’re struggling with in the moment.

These are small victories, but they have a significant impact. We believe that a small act of kindness can have a lasting effect.