Muppets, Mullen help kids deal with grief

Muppets, Mullen help kids deal with grief

By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Apr 14, 2010 6:12:10 EDT

The Muppets Rosita, Elmo and his cousin Jesse were having a heart-to-heart discussion about death with Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen and Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn at the Pentagon.

Jesse confided that her Muppet father died last year.

“We know you’re here to share that experience,” Mullen said. “We very much appreciate your doing that. That will make a big difference for military children who have experienced that as well, and to other children in America. “

The three Muppets, Mullen and Lynn came together to host a screening of the latest in Sesame Street’s “Talk, Listen, Connect” series, titled “When Families Grieve.”

A one-hour special produced by Sesame Workshop launches the effort on PBS at 8 p.m. Eastern Time and Pacific Time on Wednesday. Check local listings for times.

The special includes four families, two of them military, talking about their experience, and what helped them get through it. It also features Katie Couric, whose husband died when their children were young. She notes that many people don’t talk about death with children because it’s so difficult — not only for the children, but also for the adults who are grieving themselves.
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Muppets, Mullen help kids deal with grief