After the loss of a child, any holiday that begins with the word “Happy” makes people stop and think about whether or not they want to greet a bereaved mom or dad.  Mother’s Day isn’t “happy”, Father’s Day isn’t “happy” and birthdays, especially the birth dates of the beloved child who has passed is not a “happy” date for most of us.  The solution for most is to just ignore the person and date completely.  What good will it be to bring it up and make that person sad?

I get this reasoning, I really do.  But what happens is the mom or dad may feel isolated and alone, angry that no one cares enough to acknowledge the child that they are grieving.  Another bereaved mom shared this blog post and wow, does it make sense.

I’ll admit, before I lost my precious baby boy, I too was at a loss for words.  Although I’ve walked this journey of grief for the last five years, it is STILL difficult to figure out how other bereaved moms and dads will react if I acknowledge this not-so-happy occasion.  My “go to” phrase is this “I hope you have a gentle Mother’s Day…I’m thinking of you and (insert name of child here).

Hugs to you all,

Keaton’s mama