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Understanding Grief

“Grief is as unique and individual as any snowflake. No two people grieve the same way and that includes husbands and wives.”

A statement from a book entitled “In this Together: The Journey of a Mother and Child” by Dawn M. Atkinson

Some Reactions to Learning Your Child Has a Disability

• Denial – This cannot be happening to me, to my child, to my family.
• Anger – May be directed toward the medical personnel who were involved in providing the information about the child’s problem. Anger may cause issues communicating with spouse or other relatives.
• Fear – What is going to happen to this child when he is five years old, when he is a teenager and when he becomes an adult? What will happen to him when I can no longer care for him?
• Guilt – Did I cause this to happen? Am I being punished? Why did God do this to me?

Stages of Grief – There are seven stages of grief, moving from pain to hope for the future. Not everyone experiences all the stages in the same way, but it is important that you know that what you and other family members experience is a normal response, and that the end of the grief process is positive!