{"id":576,"date":"2024-05-08T11:32:22","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T11:32:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/?p=576"},"modified":"2024-05-08T11:33:30","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T11:33:30","slug":"mothers-day-grief-when-youre-grieving-a-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/?p=576","title":{"rendered":"MOTHER\u2019S DAY GRIEF \u2013 when you\u2019re grieving a child"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mother’s Day can feel far from celebratory\nwhen you’re grieving. Reminders are everywhere, and the absence and sorrow can\nbe overwhelming. David Kessler, a grief expert and founder of Tender Hearts, recently\ndiscussed this topic. Your child remains your child, whether they died in your\nwomb or at the age of 50. Death is final, shattering all our dreams with that\nchild. Some people can be insensitive or unaware of grief, expecting parents to\nsimply move on. There’s no model or timeline for grief; it’s a deeply personal\nand intense experience.<\/o:p><\/p>

 <\/o:p><\/p>

Dealing with the pain can be incredibly\nchallenging. Being a bereaved parent is devastating, and it’s difficult to\nexplain to others. While the journey is unique to each person, certain things\nmay help. Speaking your child’s name and having witnesses to your loss can\nprovide support, so joining a grief group may be beneficial.<\/o:p><\/p>

 <\/o:p><\/p>

Common condolences like “Are you\nbetter now?” or “Time heals all wounds” can have the opposite\neffect, making the pain feel even more acute. Bereaved parents may appear brave\nand strong, but they’re also hurting and sad. It’s important to acknowledge\nthat grieving doesn’t have a fixed timeline; the impact of the loss can\npersist.<\/o:p><\/p>

 <\/o:p><\/p>

Death casts a long shadow, especially in\nthe early stages of grief, which typically last for the first two years. The\ndepth of grief often correlates with the depth of love.<\/o:p><\/p>

 <\/o:p><\/p>

Here are some tips to help handle Mother’s\nDay:<\/o:p><\/p>

 <\/o:p><\/p>

\u00b7        \n<\/span><\/span>Allow yourself to experience the day however it\nunfolds. There’s no right or wrong way to do Mother’s Day.<\/o:p><\/p>

\u00b7        \n<\/span><\/span>Consider visiting the cemetery or a place that honours\nyour loved one as a way to connect with your grief.<\/o:p><\/p>

\u00b7        \n<\/span><\/span>Instead of hoping friends and family will offer\nsupport, directly communicate your needs. For example, you could ask your best\nfriend to join you for coffee.<\/o:p><\/p>

\u00b7        \n<\/span><\/span>Recognise that resilience can also mean allowing\nyourself to stay in bed and take refuge under the covers.<\/o:p><\/p>

\u00b7        \n<\/span><\/span>If you have other children and have experienced\nthe loss of a child(ren), prioritise your grief. Take time for yourself in the\nmorning before tending to the needs of others throughout the day.  You can celebrate with the other children the\nbest way you see fit.<\/o:p><\/p>

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p>

If you are not reaching a state where you can find meaning\nagain, you might want to consider to reach out to a therapist or counsellor.  They are trained to navigate along with you\nthe uncertain future.  If you are\nyearning it is normal, but if you feel suicidal, don\u2019t wait to ask for grief counselling.<\/o:p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mother’s Day can feel far from celebratory when you’re grieving. Reminders are everywhere, and the absence and sorrow can be overwhelming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-grief-loss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=576"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":580,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576\/revisions\/580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paserocounselling.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}