When the worst happens

What do i say to my grieving friend?

I am no expert, except I know what it's like to lose a child. I'm Avery's mom. Since that day, my husband and I have focused on doing what we can to keep Avery's memory alive. It's one of the reasons we started this foundation. Beyond that, I have spent countless hours trying to figure out how I can use this experience to help others who have lost a child as well as those watching someone suffer such a loss. I plan to use this page to give insight into what this is like and hopefully shed some light to help guide others in the darkness. So what do you say to someone who has lost a child? The honest answer is the only thing you can say is "I'm sorry, so, so sorry". It really is that simple. The main reason to
keep it simple is there is nothing you can say that will improve this for the parent who has lost their child. The parent isn't in a place to hear it. I read that losing a child is similar to suffering a brain trauma. I've never suffered a brain injury, but I can say little registered for me in those early days. People I know talked to me and I barely recognized them. Don't torture yourself coming up with something you think will help the parent feel better. Often that backfires. (That's for a future post.) I did appreciate the sweet stories his friends and classmates shared. If you have one of those, feel free to share it. But if you're stuggling for words, "I'm so sorry" and being there for your friend is enough.