Parenting in loss (Archives)

Parenting in loss

Sea Glass Parenting Grief Awareness sticker: "Sharing about my deceased child doesn't mean I'm stuck or broken or even that I'm actively hurting. It simply means I am a parent - Miranda Hernandez" in blue lettering on a white backdrop with a pastel ocean-themed border. Sticker is in the upper right corner of a silver laptop on a pink background

Sharing about my deceased child simply means I am a parent—Grief Awareness (sticker)

Often when bereaved parents share about their children, listeners rush to give advice or suggest therapy. But this isn’t always (or even often) what bereaved parents want. Often, sharing about our deceased children is simply part of parenting.

This glossy grief awareness sticker to explain that sharing about your deceased child is simply another aspect of your love and how you parent them, even and especially after their death.

Sea Glass Parenting Grief Awareness print: "Sharing about my deceased child doesn't mean I'm stuck or broken or even that I'm actively hurting. It simply means I am a parent. - Miranda Hernandez" in blue lettering with a pastel-colored ocean-themed frame

Sharing about my deceased child simply means I am a parent—Grief Awareness (5″ x 7″ printable)

Often when bereaved parents share about their children, listeners rush to give advice or suggest therapy. But this isn’t always (or even often) what bereaved parents want. Often, sharing about our deceased children is simply part of parenting.

This grief awareness print helps to explain that sharing about your deceased child is simply another aspect of your love and how you parent them, even and especially after their death.

Talking about my dead child isn't a "sad" thing. -Miranda Hernandez, Adrian's Mother

Talking about my dead child isn’t a “sad” thing

People who haven’t dealt with tragedy are often made uncomfortable by any mention of the life that remains. It’s as if there is this irrevocable connection between my son’s death and his existence; as if these things are forever entwined instead of merely adjacent.

Notes for the Bereaved -  Losing a child at any age is hard. It doesn't matter how far along you were. It doesn't matter if there was anything "wrong" with the baby or if he or she would not have been compatible with life. It doesn't even matter how many other children you have, either before or after your loss. You are always, always, ALWAYS allowed to feel whatever and however you need.  - Miranda Hernandez, Adrian's Mother

Losing a child at ANY age is hard

It doesn’t matter how far along you were. It doesn’t matter if there was anything “wrong” with the baby or if he or she would not have been compatible with life. It doesn’t even matter how many other children you have, either before or after your loss. You are ALWAYS allowed to feel what you need.

Mother holding a molly bear in a bedroom. The mother is wearing a loose white patterned kimono is snuggling into the bear with eyes closed. The bear is tan, with lighter cream markings. (Liz Morales Photography)

Here’s to the ‘Tog who Understands—

Here’s to the ‘tog who understands—She may be a mother, Or “just” a friend. She puts on the camera, and doesn’t ask questions. She knows all the symbols, and she respects them…Thank you to every photographer who understands the value of symbols of our lost children. You are appreciated.

Motherhood comes in so many forms

Motherhood

I am the mother whose body swelled with pregnancy.
I am the mother who dreamed and wanted and planned.
I am the mother who left my heart in a small and curtained alcove room.
I am the mother who screamed and cried and begged.

Introducing the Sea Glass Parenting community; a community for parents after the loss of a child.

Introducing the Sea Glass Parenting Community

It’s been commonly noted that the English language doesn’t currently have a word to describe a parent whose child is deceased. ⁠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.⁠

Sharing about my deceased child doesn't mean that I'm stuck or broken or even that I am hurting. It simply means I am a parent.

These are MY Words—Plagiarism in the Child Loss Community

I was scrolling through Instagram yesterday, and I came across a quote that really resonated. And then I realized—It was mine. Plagiarism is the one of the last things you think will happen in a mostly caring community like ours, but it happened to me.

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