Megan Pleva

This article explores how early loss is held in the body and nervous system, why grief can emerge repeatedly across childhood and adolescence, and how parents can understand these experiences without needing to explain or resolve them.

Friendships are not just social connections. Developmentally, they represent emotional proximity, belonging, and mutual dependence. For adopted children, these themes can closely mirror early attachment experiences, even when the child is not consciously aware of the connection.

When the nervous system remains on high alert, behaviour often becomes the most visible expression of internal dysregulation. This is particularly true for children, whose capacity to articulate internal states is still developing. What is observed externally as behaviour is often the body’s attempt to manage overwhelming sensation, uncertainty, or perceived threat.