I’m trying to help a four-year-old get through a sad period without her favourite comfort animal. She’s had “Bunny” since she was a baby, and the separation has been advised by the dentist because those pink ears are getting suckled on a lot.

I’m not entirely convinced the separation is necessary, but I’m not a dentist and not going to change any minds there anyway. What I can do is help with some magical thinking. The kid (let’s call her Sophie for a fun German reference I doubt anyone here will get) has been told by her parents that Bunny is on a vacation. So I wrote a letter from the Rabbit Island, talking about how Bunny is meeting a bunch of friends and picking flowers for Sophie. It was apparently very well received, so I’d like to mail some more of Bunny’s letters. I know from my own experience that when you’re grieving, it can really help to imagine the person you lost in a peaceful setting, feeling safe and happy. Bunny is very much a person to this kid, and I figure she’s grieving for him in a similar way. She has supportive parents, but it’s still hard on her.

Do you have any ideas? Where would he go? What would he see? What could he do? Anything I can put in the letter to enhance the experience, like pictures/flowers/anything small?

Topics: children, family, emotions, comfort, rabbits, imagination