My name is Dr. Kristie Polk. I teach college psychology, speak publicly about grief, and recently, I became the author of a collection of resource books I call "The Bereavement Buddy Collection". I'm most proud of my 32-year marriage and being a good mom to my kids; my adult son and my daughter, who passed away in 2021.
The year following my daughter's death, we lost 3 family friends - all dads leaving behind stay-at-home moms of multiple kids. I knew how hard my own grief journey was despite my deep education, extensive experience in leadership, and strong support system of dedicated friends and family, and I immediately thought of my friends who, not only didn't have those advantages but were also grieving while also trying to meet the needs of small children.
I had been researching grief and loss for several months already and after the third loss I was inspired to start writing - not a typical children's story about loss, though. I wanted to create something that would equip adults without any prior knowledge to come alongside small children and grieving families to help them navigate their grief in a meaningful way; I call them "Bereavement Buddies". That is what inspired me to write this collection of books.
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