DES MOINES, Iowa — Thursday is Children’s Grief Awareness Day. According to Judi’s House, 1 in 15 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling by the age of 18. Nationally, it is 1 in 12 children, according to the Children’s Grief Awareness Day organization.

The day started in 2008 when a Pennsylvania school and a grieving center collaborated together. It is recognized every third Thursday of November. Organizers said the holidays are a difficult time for grieving children and families.

The National Alliance of Children’s Grief launches a campaign every year for Children’s Grief Awareness Day. This year’s campaign is Flip the Script. According to the organization, traditional expressions of sympathy can be hurtful or unhelpful to those grieving. The campaign focuses on the perspective or how to approach a person grieving.

Cinthia Naranjo sat down Buffy Peters with Hamilton’s Funeral and Afterlife services and director of the Academy of Grief and Loss.

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