For parents bereaved of an only child or all their children

UK Helpline: 0 345 123 23 0 4 | tcf.org.uk • We may want to withdraw from the company of our family and friends, especially from relationships where children are involved. We may find it painful to relate to other people’s children and grandchildren regardless of how important they are to us. • We may feel uncomfortable in our home, even if we share the house with our partner or other family members. This feeling may be intensified by the possibility that we may each be expressing our grief in different ways. • Some of us may feel deeply bereft because we can no longer carry out our parenting role. If we have no grandchildren, we may feel desperately sad at the idea of facing the future without descendants. The years ahead could look empty and joyless. • On the other hand, if we do have grandchildren, we may find ourselves with new responsibilities that could be quite challenging, although also bringing us some comfort. In some cases, our child’s spouse may restrict access to our grandchildren, which will bring an added level of pain to our bereavement. • Old age may also become a frightening prospect without our child, particularly if we live alone. Not all children offer companionship and support to their ageing parents, but for us, this is not even a possibility. • We may wonder who we want to be the beneficiaries of our will and receive any inheritance which we had planned for our children to have. • We may be anxious to realise that when we die, there may be no one to treasure our precious items, photographs and papers which may be of no monetary value, but are treasured by us. Again, while there is no guarantee that anyone’s child will take care of these items for their parents, but for us there is no possibility of this happening.