Will I ever see you again? :death and grief in Slovene children literature

Svojo diplomsko nalogo sem posvetila raziskovanju dojemanja smrti in procesa žalovanja pri otrocih ter pomenu otroške literature kot enega izmed možnih načinov približanja omenjene tematike otroku in možne metode pomoči v primeru realne izgube bližnjega. V teoretičnem delu sem najprej opredelila žalovanje in splošne značilnosti procesa žalovanja in sprememb, ki jih prinese smrt v človekovo življenje. Bolj natančno sem se osredotočila na značilnosti procesa žalovanja otroka, na to, kako se razvija predstava o smrti, kako drugače od odraslih žalujejo otroci in kakšen je potek žalovanja. Na podlagi dognanj o tem, kaj ob smrti zanima otroke in na kakšen način moramo o tem z njimi govoriti, sem izpostavila tudi pomen iskrenega pogovora in oblike ter načine pomoči ob realni izgubi bližnjega, tudi ko/če v žalovanju pride do obremenitev. Na koncu sem definirala še pravljico in opisala, kakšen pomen ima za otroka in kako jo starši in strokovni delavci lahko uporabijo kot ustrezno metodo pri poučevanju otrok o smrti in žalovanju ali kot metodo pomoči tistim otrokom, ki se soočajo z izkušnjo smrti. V empiričnem delu sem raziskovala obstoj otroške literature, do starosti 10 let, ki se ukvarja s temo smrti in žalovanja, izdane po letu 1990 v Sloveniji. Ta del sestoji iz petih hipotez, ki sem jih preverila na podlagi seznama z naslovi, ki sem ga pridobila v okviru raziskovanja. Spoznala sem, da imamo pri nas relativno malo predvsem vsebinsko različne literature na to temo in da bi za zadovoljitev potreb otrok, ki se znajdejo v stiski zaradi različnih situacij, potrebovali malo večji izbor. Diplomsko delo ponuja pregled izdane otroške literature na to temo v Sloveniji. Takšen pregled je lahko dobra pomoč tako staršu kot tudi strokovnemu delavcu, ki vsakodnevno vstopa v kontakt z otroci, pri načrtovanju procesa učenja o smrti in žalovanju ali načrtovanju procesa pomoči v primeru smrti otrokovega bližnjega.I devoted my diploma thesis to the research on children’s perception of death and bereavement, and on the importance of children’s literature as one of the possible approaches for children to learn about death and grief. I have also tried to show that children’s literature can be of great help when loss actually occurs in the family. The definition of grief, the general characteristics of bereavement, and the changes it brings are defined in the theoretical section. The process of children’s bereavement is explained in greater detail – from how they acknowledge death to the differences between the mourning of children and adults. I have also emphasized the importance of honesty when talking to children about death, and the importance of providing help when death occurs in the family, especially if there are difficulties in the mourning process. In the end, I also define a fairytale and its importance for children. Fairytales can be a great method for parents, or any professional who works with children, to use when trying to help a child to understand death, dying and grief. The empirical section includes the research about existing children’s literature on death and bereavement, published in Slovenia after 1990, and consists of 5 hypotheses, which I have tried to prove. I have established that in Slovenia there is a relatively low number of children’s literature on this topic with regard to the diversity of contents. Especially if we would like to satisfy all the different needs of different children in different situations of distress. Nevertheless, the diploma thesis tries to provide a review of existing children’s books and literature on death/bereavement in Slovenia, which can be of help when planning to provide help or teach children about both – not only for the child’s parents but also for the professionals working with them