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Coping with Mother's Day Grief

Grief can be especially difficult during special days throughout the year, such as Mother’s Day.

We've collected some resources that may be of interest for those grieving their mothers or children on this holiday, or those who know someone who is.

Click the article titles below to read more on each topic.

 

Grieving the Loss of a Mother on Mother's Day

Mother’s Day can be a pretty painful day for those grieving the death or absence of their mother. Mothers Day Grief can bring up feelings of longing, yearning, sadness, loneliness, depression, anger, bitterness, alienation, and despair. For many, the day becomes about just getting through. Obviously, there is no replacement for your mother this Mother’s Day, but there are constructive ways to deal with the day that might make you feel closer to her memory and to the people in your life.

 

Supporting a Grieving Child: Staying connected with the person who died

"It’s a common misconception that when someone dies the goal is to “get over them” and “return to normal.” Our relationship with someone significant doesn’t end with their death. In fact, moving through grief involves finding new ways to continue that relationship, even though the person is no longer physically present."

 

How to help parents who are grieving on Mother’s Day

When someone loses a child, their world changes forever. Mother’s Day is just one of many days that make that loss feel even more profound. Bereaved parents may feel angry, cheated, heartbroken, or all of these at once—and they may worry they can’t be there fully for surviving children the way they want to be. Whether it’s the first or the fiftieth Mother’s Day after a child dies, part of a parent’s heart always belongs to their lost child. As Darcy Krause of the Center for Grieving Children puts it, “A child is a child no matter how old they are. In a mother’s or father’s heart, it’s their child.”

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