Parenting while Grieving
Grieving while Parenting
Yasemin Isler
April 8, 2023
Grieving a loss is a natural part of life. You may naturally want to protect your children with the kindest and most loving intentions from witnessing your sadness and tears. It may be also that you want to stay strong for them. There can be a balance between living with your grief authentically and letting your child in on this a bit closer. There is no need to always hide your sadness or tears from your child. It's ok for them to see that you are upset. They will be sensing it anyway.
They also are learning to find their own ways of how to process their grief. The way you are showing your grief experience will shine the light on their path of learning to be with grief. They will, of course, grieve in their own age appropriate way in the ways they experience their emotions. At the same time, they are observing you, too. They are getting cues on how to be in life from you. You will be helping them to normalize grief and that it is ok to be sad sometimes.
As hard as it can be at times, it is a chance to witness that lives are inclusive of love, living, joy, sadness, death, loss and grief. These are all part of this precious life.
If you hide what is naturally occurring in your grief, be kind to yourself first, and then change the approach and let your child in on the grief process. There will be still times when you will decide how much is too much, and have your alone time with grieve, too.
With love and kindness to you.
Yasemin Isler