When a child continues to feel unrealistic guilt, acknowledge that it is a difficult feeling to have. The child may need to continue to feel the guilt until he or she is ready to feel the more difficult feelings of vulnerability that the death has brought up. There are different kinds of anger expressed in grieving. There may be unresolved issues between a child and the person who died, which can result in anger in the child. There may be anger in a child as a protest against the fact of the death and the lack of dependability of life.
Anger can also be an antidote to fear, manifesting in an outward display of personal power.
A child may become rebellious or resistant to counteract the vulnerability of feeling fear and sorrow. When a child feels sorrow, he or she may be ready to accept the truth of the loss without protest. Sorrow can be an expression of a child's feelings of vulnerability as he or she continues to live without the person who died. The child may grieve a loss of security. Loving arms around a child who cries with sorrow can offer safety and acceptance in a world that includes the dying of those we love.