Help for Your Father's Day Grief
/ Holidays and Special Days : Eleanor Haley
Over the years, we've written quite a bit about Father's Day Grief. Though there's always more to be said because Father's Day is hard for so many people, this has been a strange year for us (and, like, everyone else). It's one of those times when we're just feeling a little too emotional and discombobulated to write anything new. So this year, we're going to highlight and link to a few different support posts we've shared in the past.
From One Grieving Dad to Another
"We asked grieving dads on social media to tell us what they would tell another grieving dad. What would they share to help someone else understand their deep Father’s Day grief and everyday grief? The responses we got, there is really no way to introduce them. We wish we could have included every single one. Today, this Father’s Day, we’ll let a few of these grieving dads speak for themselves ."
Father's Day Sulking Without Apology
"Every year Father’s Day creeps up on me. When I realize it’s coming I start wanting to avoid, knowing darn well what a bad idea that is. I have given and taken advice for coping with tough days many times, so I know that there are many positive options for the day. I could plan to go somewhere he loved, give a donation in his memory, make a meal that reminds me of him, take photographs or create something, write a letter, journal, spend time with other family, look at photographs or home videos, go on a trip or a walk to somewhere he loved, volunteer somewhere meaningful, and on and on. After considering all these options and more I have to be honest: this year I am not feeling them. At all. Nothing seems appealing and I still want to figure out how to skip the day altogether."
Supporting Kids Who Can't Remember their Dads This Father's Day
"As I was feeling sorry for myself about Father’s Day, I had a conversation with someone about helping kids who can’t remember their dads at Father’s Day. I then had one of those moments where I took a step back to consider how lucky I am that I do remember my dad.
Although using ‘it could be worse’ reasoning doesn’t take away pain, it does keep things in perspective for me. It got me thinking that there are a million suggestions on what to do to remember moms on Mother’s Day and dads on Father’s Day (you can check our suggestions out here) but there is far less talk on supporting your child who doesn’t remember their dad, or how to help your child understand you may be having a hard time on Father’s Day if you lost your dad."
Six Word Stories About Father's Day Grief
Earlier this week, we asked our Instagram community to share a six-word story about Father's Day Grief. As always, we were blown away by the number of amazing responses we received (over 500!). Click on the post to read these stories.
Other Articles that Might Help With Your Father's Day Grief
- Surviving Father’s Day Grief: When sadness meets storytelling
- Widowed Dad's: A Resource Roundup
- How to Use a Belt Sander and Other Questions for My (Dead) Dad
- Should I Discuss Deceased Loved Ones With my Child?
We invite you to share your experiences, questions, and resource suggestions with the WYG community in the discussion section below.
We wrote a book!
After writing online articles for What’s Your Grief
for over a decade, we finally wrote a tangible,
real-life book!
What’s Your Grief? Lists to Help you Through Any Loss is for people experiencing any type of loss. This book discusses some of the most common grief experiences and breaks down psychological concepts to help you understand your thoughts and emotions. It also shares useful coping tools, and helps the reader reflect on their unique relationship with grief and loss.
You can find What’s Your Grief? Lists to Help you Through Any Loss wherever you buy books:
