Yes - the death of a child is the most challenging life task we will ever endure. Along this journey from mourning to joy, there are many emotional and physical ways in which our journey will take us. Much of this journey is beyond your control - there is no order to the journey. But it does help to know that what you are experiencing is normal - you are not crazy and you are not alone... We hope that knowing what you might experience will help ease your broken heart...
~ Denial of your loss, thinking that your child will return.
~ Needing to tell and retell the story of your child’s death
~ Inability to function in your job
~ Sensing your child’s presence or an odor or touch associated with your child
~ Having difficulty grocery shopping because of seeing your child’s favorite food(s) on the shelves
~ Irrationally upset with yourself if you smile or laugh, thinking how can I smile, my child is DEAD!
~ Feelings as if your spouse or other family member don’t understand your grief or are not grieving as you think they should. Remember all of us grieve differently.
~ Losing old friends who don’t seem to understand your pain and grief
~ Making new friends through support groups with members who have also experienced the death of a child and therefore understand your feelings.
~ Feeling like you are making progress in your grief work, then slip back into the old feelings.
~ Grief work usually is a succession of two steps forward and one step back over a long period of time
~ Becoming frustrated with others who expect you to “over this” in a month, six months or a year and who say so. Or even being frustrated with yourself for expecting to be “over this” too soon.
~ Grief work form the death of your child is a SLOW process.
~ Be patient with yourself. You are a bereaved Mother.
~ Be gentle with yourself. You are GRIEVING.
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