Supporting a Bereaved Parent.

Have you ever found yourself losing touch with a friend who lost a child? And you wonder why? Perhaps one of the reasons is you were not supportive or you tried being supportive but said very wrong things which though said with good intent turned out to be hurtful and so they evaded you like plague.

Allow me to be candid here. Child loss bereavement support in most of our communities is very minimal. Child losses are belittled and social support for the bereaved parent is not enough, it only lasts the first few weeks or for some after the burial, people vanish. The bereaved then has to deal with the grief alone, loathing all who ‘pretended’ to be friends. Thanks to all the support groups available where bereaved parents walk the journey of grief together. It is here I learnt that some people avoid being there for a bereaved…