Newsletter for Childless Parents, Summer 2020

Newsletter for Childless Parents | www.tcf.org.uk 2 Hello everyone. I hope you are all keeping well and being kind to yourselves during such a difficult time. I know I have been struggling, more than I have for a long time. I have dived into my work, as working from home every day means my computer is always within reach so I can switch it on whenever I want to. The isolation is tough though, just me and my dog day in and day out, but I keep telling myself I have been through worse. We all have. It doesn’t make it go away but for a few minutes I can breathe again. I wrote my blog recently because I needed to clear my head. My anxiety took me over. I couldn’t go to my friends for a coffee and a chat, so it all came out onto the page. I read it back and I thought I sounded a bit crazy. I very nearly deleted it, but I try to make my blog honest and that would have censored it so maybe if someone feeling like I had, read that, they would maybe feel less alone, or less crazy than I felt. I wanted to remember our bereaved Dads in this issue with Fathers Day not far away. Oliver’s Dad wasn’t around when he died, or most of his life, but from what I have seen Dads seem to be forgotten. There are lots of articles, poems and general information about coping with not having your Dad around on Fathers Day, but a Dad not having their child is just too hard to put into words maybe? I have spent a lot of time trying to find a poem with the right words and sentiment and have reached out on social media to all my friends who have given me the following words in place of a poem: I loved the boy with the utmost love of which my soul was capable, and he is taken from me – yet in the agony of my spirit in surrendering such a treasure I feel a thousand times richer than if I had never possessed it. By William Wordsworth I hope the blog post, and well worded article from Bryan Clover help all our Dads out there to know we remember them too. Be kind to yourselves. With love Kirstie x Oliver’s Mum Thoughts from our editor Message from John Robertson Unfortunately the annual bring and share lunch for CP’s usually held in Rochester, Kent will not be taking place this year due to the current restrictions. Hopefully it will take place next year.