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Mother's Day and Grieving

Grief can be especially difficult during special days throughout the year, such as Mother’s Day.

We've collected some resources that may be of interest for those grieving their mothers or children on this holiday, or those who know someone who is.

Click the article titles below to read more on each topic.

 

Coping with Mother’s Day Grief

Grief is hard work. It requires navigating ongoing feelings, reconciling unresolved aspects of relationships, and finding personal growth while keeping the deceased person alive in memory. While it can be difficult to get through Mother's Day or other days of celebration, there are ways to celebrate and honor the person who died.

 

Supporting a Grieving Child: Staying connected with the person who died

"It’s a common misconception that when someone dies the goal is to “get over them” and “return to normal.” Our relationship with someone significant doesn’t end with their death. In fact, moving through grief involves finding new ways to continue that relationship, even though the person is no longer physically present."

 

How to help parents who are grieving on Mother’s Day

When someone loses a child, their world changes forever. Mother’s Day is just one of many days that make that loss feel even more profound. Bereaved parents may feel angry, cheated, heartbroken, or all of these at once—and they may worry they can’t be there fully for surviving children the way they want to be. Whether it’s the first or the fiftieth Mother’s Day after a child dies, part of a parent’s heart always belongs to their lost child. As Darcy Krause of the Center for Grieving Children puts it, “A child is a child no matter how old they are. In a mother’s or father’s heart, it’s their child.”

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