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How do I help my children when their Daddy has died

28 replies

Toadmont1 · 28/02/2019 02:52

My children's father passed very sunddenly last week they are aged 9 and 10 and although i am trying i have no clue how to help them . They want to go and see their daddy and i have no idea if i am right to let them or how to prepare them for a life without him xx

OP posts:
Smotheroffive · 28/02/2019 15:03

MrsToddsShortcut Flowers how devastating for you all. Sending love and warmth to you all for your healing.

Thoughts are with you and your DC OP. Hoping you are managing (as best you can, stay close to your DC and do family things together,making favourtie foods together, all pulling together will get you all through)

TimeIhadaNameChange · 28/02/2019 15:17

I was 6 when my dad died. I did go to the funeral but not the crem. I had no idea what happened at the crem but I hated not being with my mum and sister - it was as though I wasn't important enough to go. Such a horrible feeling.

If they want to see their father, let them. Let them go to funeral and crem if that is what they want.

Try not to let anyone put down their grief - just because they are young does not mean they are not suffering. I still remember someone telling me after the service they knew which hymn I'd chosen as it was nice and jolly. That was not the reason, and I hated someone making light of the situation.

Let them see you're upset, that it's ok to be upset and if they say something which makes you upset that's fine too. Don't put them into the situation where they feel they have to shut down their emotions to keep you happy.

Talk about him, share stories, look at pictures of him. Maybe make some memory boxes. Write down things he said about them.

Don't be afraid to find someone else when the time is right. My mother didn't, mainly to protect me, but it did me more harm than good.

SmarmyMrMime · 28/02/2019 15:53

My dad died suddenly when I was 11.
I went to his funeral service and burial.
DM pulled out lots of photos of him.
We talked about him a lot.
Certain songs still connect me to him.
DM still has his things 25+ years later. His wardobe still has an essence of his smell.
I was transitioning to secondary school at the time, and my tutor group was altered so I had a good core of primary school friends so there was less worry about settling in on top.
We were used to him being away with work which helped. At one point he had worked away weekdays which eased that difference. DM rationalised it that she wouldn't logically miss him at certain times of the day when he wasn't there which reduced the enormity of it. Fortunately our lifestyle didn't have to change too much. She was able to buy his car off the company and sold hers instead.
She had a great support network of friends and kept up a good social life. Now she's in old age and I live further affield, this is really valuable. It did help that I had an older sibling that was a gateway to a range of babysitters.

There is more external support than there's ever been. Don't be afraid to access it if needed Flowers

About seeing him, only DM went to identify him. In my 20s, I went to see my uncle after he died and I found it settling to something I'd felt since my dad died. It was like seeing a waxwork of my uncle. Like him, but different. Not scary.

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