It’s been commonly noted that while the English language contains words for a child who has lost their parents (orphan), or someone whose spouse has died (widow), we don’t currently have a word to describe a parent whose child is deceased.
For myself, I choose the term, “Sea Glass Parent.” It acknowledges both the Broken and the Beauty in my life. It’s a metaphor, and also a piece of unique beauty on it’s own.
As part of this new identity, I have created a community both on Adrian’s website, and also on Facebook. In these two places, I am tying together the photography project I started last year, @seaglassphotographyproject, with the writing course I’ve always wanted to run, and also just a general sense of acceptance that everyone is on their own journey, and all of use deserve to be honored for exactly where we currently are.
If the #seaglassparent term appeals to you, I have also opened up a store on Spreadshirt, and I am now selling shirts, sweatshirts, water bottles, and a few other items with either the #seaglassparenting logo, OR with the Adrian’s elephant logo with the phrase, “an elephant never forgets.” Full disclosure: I do make a small income from sales in this shop, which I will be putting back into the website and also using to fund distribution of resources at local birth and baby fairs.
(I talked about all of this a little more in depth on Instagram live earlier this evening. The full video is embedded below).
Introducing the Sea Glass Parenting Community
Miranda's Blog
- Categories: Miranda's Blog 2020, Support After Loss
- Tags: Help and support after the death of a child, Writing as a means of reflection and processing in grief, Commonality and community in loss and grief, Adrian's Elephant on Instagram, Parenting in loss, Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) Awareness, finding beauty in the broken
Featured in:
Miranda’s Blog has been featured in Scary Mommy, Pregnancy After Loss Support Magazine, Love What Matters, Up Journey, and Pursue Today. You can also find her on Quora and Medium.
