The loss of a child is a profoundly difficult experience that no parent ever hopes or expects to encounter. As unexpected as it can be, however, it’s more common than many people think, and it can be almost as challenging to comfort a friend or loved one who’s lost a child too soon. While grief counseling is available to help bereaved parents cope with the loss, there are also several things you can do to provide support and reassurance to a mourning loved one.

What You Can Do for a Parent Who Has Lost a Child

1. Make Yourself Available

As soon as you hear of a child’s death, make every effort to be by the side of your friend or relative. In the immediate aftermath, the presence of trusted loved ones can make all the difference in helping parents cope with daily necessities while they grieve.

Work with other family members or friends to divide up tasks like cooking meals, cleaning the house, and driving the bereaved parent to the funeral home or to grief counseling sessions. It may take a long time for them to recover the strength and presence of mind needed to handle these tasks on their own, but they’re sure to appreciate the kindness you show them.

2. Check On Them

After the funeral, make a habit of stopping in to check on a bereaved parent in person at least once a week for the year following their child’s departure, even if you make an appearance just to share coffee or talk for an hour or two. If you can’t be there in person, you can call your loved one at least once a week and stay in touch with friends and relatives closer to them to find out what else you can do to help.

3. Remember Important Dates

Grieving parents may find it particularly difficult to cope with what would have been their child’s next birthday or the day of their death. Father’s and Mother’s Days can also be a challenge, as can major holidays and religious festivals in which a lost child would have taken part.

You can help by taking charge of planning for holidays and other important occasions to make them a time of remembrance or to cheer up surviving siblings and parents. It’s also a good idea to invite the parents along to your own events to remind them that they have a support network of sympathetic friends and relatives.

Dealing with the loss of a child is never easy. If you or a loved one have had to cope with this sad event, you can count on the compassionate team at Cornwell Funeral Home. Helping Dardanelle, AR, families get through their most difficult times since 1898, this team will guide grieving parents through the funeral planning process and can help you access grief counseling and other important resources during the grieving process. Call (479) 229-2524 to schedule a meeting, and visit them online to learn more about how they can help.