Helping Someone Who Has Lost a Child

After cremations as part of the cremation services offered in Dayton, OH, you may find yourself in the position of helping someone who has experienced the loss of their child. Losing a child, no matter how old that child was or how much of life they lived, is a devastating event for their parents.

Parents aren’t supposed to outlive their children, so the loss of a child and the grief that follows is often even more intense and it can last even longer than the grief that normally follows losing a loved one to death.

Although all children’s deaths are extremely painful and difficult for their parents, the age at which they die and the causes from which they die may profoundly affect the way the parent grieves them.

Very young children who die can bring intense sorrow to their parents because they represent the loss of potential, promises, dreams, hopes, and what could have been.

Older children and young adults have begun to shape their lives and, perhaps, have even taken wings to fly. When they die, parents may feel the intensity of grief about their deaths because they were taken at the beginning of their independent lives with the future wide open in front of them.

When children in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s die, parents can experience intense sorrow because their lives were cut off prematurely, without the chance, perhaps to see their children marry, to have grandchildren, to be able to enjoy the golden years of a life well-lived.

Additionally, the reasons why children die can also be a huge complicating factor in how their parents experience grief.

Some of the most excruciatingly-painful deaths of children that parents may experience are those of children who die in miscarriages, who are stillborn, or who die shortly after birth. No parents are prepared to lose their children this early in their lives, and it can often take a long time to recover from the grief and sorrow that accompanies these deaths.

When little children die of sudden or terminal illnesses, parents may grieve so intensely that it seems as though they will never recover. If they have other children, they may not be able to be emotionally available for some time.

When children die because of car accidents, from addiction-related causes, or from suicide or foul play, parents can also find that their grief is mixed with guilt and regrets, making healing much harder.

Supporting parents who have lost a child, no matter what the age of the child or the cause of death, can be guided by remembering a few things.

Don’t avoid talking about the child who has died. Parents can often be comforted by good memories of their children and hearing the name of their children can remind them that they are not forgotten.

Don’t disappear after the funeral of a child. Parents who have lost their children need continuing support and encouragement in the weeks, months, and years that follow. Be sure to keep in touch, to visit regularly, and to listen as parents work through their grief.

Don’t expect parents to ever get over the loss of their children. Losing a child leaves a permanent void in their lives and their hearts for the rest of their lives.

For information about cremation services offered in Dayton, OH, our caring and knowledgeable staff at Glickler Funeral Home & Cremation Service is here to assist you. You can visit our funeral home at 1849 Salem Ave., Dayton, OH 45406, or you can call us today at (937) 278-4287.