Death. It is one of those unfortunate things in life we’ve all got to deal with in some way. But when we are dealing with aging relatives, or perhaps our parents, and we know that the end is on the horizon, it could be heartbreaking for us to cope.
But also, if we have children, we’ve got to try and that’s fine balance between grieving healthily and getting on with our lives. What are the best ways to deal with this?
Honest Communication With The Children
It could be very upsetting for you, but it can be upsetting for the children as well, especially if they feel left in the dark. It’s important to communicate with your children as openly and honestly as possible, but spare them the gory details.
This is a very difficult thing to get right. After all, our children want to know why something is happening, but there is a way for us to do it sensitively. Be prepared, your children will get upset, and there is no way of shielding them from this.
Dealing with The Admin Methodically
As frustrating as it can be to deal with probate lawyers, closing bank accounts, and other administrative tasks, we can use it as a way to keep pushing forward.
Grieving healthfully isn’t about sitting in silence, and in fact, dealing with a lot of these little issues that drag out over the months and years can threaten to get in the way of your role as a parent.
Just understand that these things take some time, and as frustrating as it can be that it drags out for so long, as long as you’re dealing with it calmly and ensuring you are not letting the number of tasks overwhelm you, you can approach it in a methodical manner.
Understanding That It Takes Time
Understanding That It Takes Time
Coping with the death of a parent, when we have our own children to look after, is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, we can focus on our children as a coping strategy, but on the other hand, we can focus so much on them, we ignore our own inclination to grieve.
By no means should you avoid grieving, nor should you use your children as an excuse. So many people say they haven’t got time, and there are so many things to do. Make time. It’s important, for your own health and happiness that you dedicate time to go through it.
You may find your emotions get the better of you at the worst possible time, but the grieving process is unique to each and every one of us, and we go through it in our own way. Don’t ignore it.
As difficult as it can be to cope with stresses in life when you’re a parent, when you lose one of your parents, your child’s grandparents, you have to understand the importance of processing the information.
As parents who are too busy, especially in modern life, it seems there is little time for grief- let’s change this.