When my 14 year old son died, many people wanted to be helpful and supportive to me, but didn’t know what to do or say. Many asked me, ‘What can I say?’ I have written a book full of ideas on what helped me (and what didn’t help!) during my heaviest time of grief. I’ve called the book ‘But what can I say? Ways to help bereaved parents’.
I asked dozens of other bereaved parents for their input and included it in the book.
There’s no ‘recipe’ for how to support bereaved parents, but this book gives some helpful insights. I’d be interested in experiences from other bereaved parents on how people tried to help you (positive or negative).
24 September, 2007 at 11:36 am
Hi Heather,
What a gutsy book.
You have given me courage to make myself available to a friend who has suffered a terrible loss.
Thanks for sharing your meaningful insights and experience so candidly in your book.
Good luck, Wendy.
28 November, 2007 at 11:15 am
Thanks Wendy,
It’s great to get your positive feedback. I’ve had a huge lot of affirming comments from people who have read my book. It is a great feeling to have written something that is helping so many people.
Heather.
9 November, 2008 at 6:20 am
I lost my only child to a heroin overdose at 23. She is immortalized in the book, “Swish: Maria in the Mourning,” which chronicles her addiction and death. The publisher is Outskirts Press and the book can be purchased on Amazon. For readers to take this journey, they will learn more about what to say and what not to say, and never assume a parent gets over their grief for a child.
17 December, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Hi Pamela,
It must be the ultimate anguish to lose your only child. Yes, I agree, a parent never ‘gets over’ losing their child. But many people want us to. It is now 8 years since I lost my 14 year old son, and although I am learning to adjust to not having him around, I don’t believe I’ll ever get over it! I hope your book sells well.
Regards, Heather Kerridge