Grieving for Our Young Child (2-10)

One of a series of leaflets published by The Compassionate Friends This leaflet is especially for parents who are bereaved of a child of pre-school or primary school age, from 2–10 years of age. As parents we experience both joy and challenges as we watch our children leave infancy behind. They steadily grow and change. In time they go to playgroups or school and make their first childhood friendships. There is so much more to look forward to. Tragically, for some of us, our dreams for the life that our child has ahead of them are then shattered. Their dying brings unspeakable sadness, devastation, shock and loneliness. It might not seem possible that it is even real – that our irreplaceable child is no longer with us. It is not easy to adjust to life without our beloved child, and it will take us time to find our way. Our life without our child Our child’s death may have been anticipated, for instance if they were suffering from a life-limiting illness, or it may have been sudden and without warning. Whatever the circumstance, we are enduring one of the toughest experiences we could possibly face as parents. We miss our child. We expect to get them up in the morning, give them breakfast, see them off to school, nursery or childcare. We expect them home again in the afternoons. Perhaps we supervise homework. At the weekends there are outings, activities and games. All of that is finished now. Instead we are faced with the terrible void of where our child should be. There are so many firsts in the early years, depending on their health and abilities: first cycle or swimming lessons, going to their first match or dance show. Our children had so much more to look Grieving for Our Young Child