UK Helpline: 0345 123 2304 | tcf.org.uk Our other children: our child’s siblings It is likely that our relationship with our other children will alter, at least in the short term, while each of us responds to what has happened. They may express their grief in ways that are quite different to our own. They may choose to distance themselves from us. This will be hard, as we may feel we have lost more than one child. Alternatively, our other children may take more care of us than they do of themselves, and we may worry that they are not allowing time and space for their own grief. Other people may not realise the depth of their grief. Our friends and other family members may focus their attention on our raw grief as a parent. Sometimes they will need reminding that our children are grieving too and in need of kindness and support. Practical Matters Funeral and legal matters if our child had no spouse “The interview at the bank to close my child’s accounts was relatively straightforward once I had the death certificate, except at the start, they did not really appreciate that ‘the deceased’ was not some elderly relative, but my child.” If our child had been living alone, it is likely we will be faced with the sad job of clearing out their home, as well as notifying others of their death and arranging the funeral – something we had never expected. We may want to elicit the help of close friends or other family to help with these tasks. Their emotional support will be invaluable. If our child was not married or in a civil partnership and they had children, their children will inherit their estate, unless there is a will specifying otherwise. If there are no children, then the parents are next in line to inherit under the laws of ‘intestacy’.
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