Reactions to the Death of a Mother

How children react to their own mother's death will depend upon their age and the stages of drive and ego development already achieved at the time the crisis is experienced.1 Just as important in shaping their reactions to such serious loss will be the kind and amount of emotional help available to them from the bereaved members of their family. The opportunity to observe the reactions of two small sisters to the death of their mother, and also to help the family with the subsequent management of the children, came to me when a mother died suddenly during my mother-guidance work with her. At the time of her death her daughters, Wendy and Winnie, were four and two and a half years old. The mother-guidance work was being conducted in connection with Wendy's attendance at the Hanna Perkins Nursery School.2

In giving guidance to the three main persons—father, maternal grandmother, and maid—who cared for these two little girls, my first objective was to assist them intellectually and emotionally in allowing a period of mourning. This entailed helping them with their own feelings and defenses so they would then be able to give emotional