Watching Movies About Father Loss Comforts Grieving Youth

Source: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

This Father's Day, many families will be celebrating their dads by having BBQ's, giving gifts, or treating their dads to a round of golf. Hugs will be passed out, thanks and gratitude will be shared, pictures will be posted on social media, and cards will be presented. It promises to be a happy and memorable time for most families. But for some families it will look a little different.

For those who have lost a father, children and teenagers might find this day incredibly challenging to navigate, especially if this is the first June without their father. Traditions shared in prior years might be too painful to experience this year. And, understandably, that's okay.

Previous posts have discussed art therapy options suitable for children and teenagers grieving the death of their parent. This Father's Day, movie therapy might be a comforting way for children and teenagers to cope. Here are some movies that can mitigate the loneliness, as they also feature fatherless children.

In Saving Mr. Banks, the real-life author of the beloved Mary Poppins series, P.L. Travers, channels her difficult past as the late, great Walt Disney is turning her famous fiction into one of his great movies. In Saving Mr. Banks, the character of P.L. Travers is incredibly difficult to work with, until the movie provides flashbacks to her childhood, in which she had a close relationship to an alcoholic father who eventually succumbed to his drinking. The movie mixes loving memories of a daughter and father with the sad reality of losing that bond .

In Jack Frost, young Charlie adores his father, a musician who is unfortunately prioritizing his love for music over spending time with his family. Charlie just wants to spend quality time with his father, but his father takes that for granted. When tragedy strikes, Charlie feels extra pain in losing his father because he wanted more time when his his dad was alive. They end up getting a second chance in an unusual way.

In Disney's The Princess and the Frog, Tianna was extremely close to her father, a hard-working man with whom she shared a dream: to open up a restaurant. Their shared passion for food and cooking bonded them, and Tianna hung onto that bond after her father died and eventually opened a restaurant.

In It's A Wonderful Life, George and Harry Bailey are the sons of Peter Bailey, a hardworking man who sacrifices himself to help others in their community. When tragedy strikes, George, who is the elder of the brother, continues his father's mission and furthers his legacy.