This book was written to be a comfort and guide for bereaved parents whose adult child has died; to show by sharing our experiences that we are not alone in our responses to our child's death; that we are not weak, defective in character or otherwise inadequate because of the way we grieve; to spell out ways in which some of us have increased our understanding of our condition, found solace, dispelled guilt and anger, overcome depression, come to terms with survivors, and memorialized our deceased children. Questionnaires were sent to more than sixty bereaved parents of adult children who died and many anonymous examples from these questionnaires are used throughout the book.

Whether a death is sudden or anticipated, losing a loved one shakes us to our very core, destroying our belief in a just, safe, and predictable world. Grief often changes us quickly both physically and mentally. It is like being kidnapped and suddenly transported to a foreign land without luggage, a passport, or the language to make sense of what's happening. Even if you have a road map for getting through the pain and anguish, you still have to take the trip. The purpose of this book is to help you find threads of hope that will assist your recovery and help you carry on. By sharing inspirational stories, personal experiences, and professional advice from contributors to theOpen to Hope website, we trust that you will be comforted and inspired by learning how others dealt with their losses, what they saw as roadblocks, and how they handled them as well as what it has taken for them to not only survive, but thrive. We want to help you resume leading the life that you were meant to live--a life of satisfaction and one driven by a belief in your own personal power for change.

When a parent dies, most adults are seized by an unexpected crisis that can trigger a profound transformation. Using in-depth interviews and national surveys, Dr Umberson explains why the death of a parent has strong effects on adults and looks at protective factors that help some individuals experience better mental health following the death than they did when the parent was alive. This is the first book to rely on sound scientific method to document the significant adverse effects of parental death for adults in a national population. Exploring the social and psychological risk factors that make some people more vulnerable than others, readers will come to view the loss of a parent in a new way: as a turning point in adult development.

Parents aren't supposed to outlive their children, but they do. Ellyn Wolfe's journey through hell and out the other side begins with a phone call from 3,000 miles away, "Mom, I have cancer." A memoir of loss and survival, denial and fear, optimism and coping strategies, Grateful for the Color Blue is a compassionate outreach to anyone who has lived through loss and needs to know they are not alone. Beautifully written with heart-wrenching intensity, diversionary escapes into nature, and revelations about intuition and mindfulness that yield startling results, this memoir is a page-turner.

How to recognize and cope with Parent Frustration Syndrome (PFS): negative thoughts and feelings about your children"

Shares a glimpse of the unspeakable pain, helplessness, frustration, and eventual healing that the author and his wife experienced since losing their son, offering comfort and connection to those walking similar paths. Original.

"Once in a generation, a book comes along that alters the way society views a topic. When Children Grieve is an essential primer for parents and others who interact with children on a regular basis." — Bernard McGrane, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, Chapman University and U.C. Irvine The first—and definitive—guide to helping children really deal with loss from the authors of the The Grief Recovery Handbook Following deaths, divorces, pet loss, or the confusion of major relocation, many adults tell their children “don’t feel bad.” In fact, say the authors of the bestselling The Grief Recovery Handbook, feeling bad or sad is precisely the appropriate emotion attached to sad events. Encouraging a child to bypass grief without completion can cause unseen long-term damage. When Children Grieve helps parents break through the misinformation that surrounds the topic of grief. It pinpoints the six major myths that hamper children in adapting to life’s inevitable losses. Practical and compassionate, it guides parents in creating emotional safety and spells out specific actions to help children move forward successfully.