Keeping Contact: Stepparenting a Grieving Child
Children of divorce can stay in contact with both parents. When a parent dies a child can't. In her book, Stepparenting the Grieving Child, author Diane Fromme points out the need to maintain an emotional connection to a parent does not end when a parent dies. The living parent and stepparent can help with this: acknowledge the deceased parent; write letters and look at pictures and talk about them. Help the child bring the deceased parent along with them and a healthy connection will endure.
Show Notes
About the Host
About the Guest
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Children of divorce can stay in contact with both parents. When a parent dies a child can't. In her book, Stepparenting the Grieving Child, author Diane Fromme points out the need to maintain an emotional connection to a parent does not end when a parent dies. The living parent and stepparent can help with this: acknowledge the deceased parent; write letters and look at pictures and talk about them. Help the child bring the deceased parent along with them and a healthy connection will endure.
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Ron Deal
Ron L. Deal is one of the most widely read and viewed experts on blended families in the country. He is Director of FamilyLife Blended® for FamilyLife®, founder of Smart Stepfamilies™, and the author and Consulting Editor of the Smart Stepfamily Series of books including the bestselling Building Love Together in Blended Families: The 5 Love Languages® and Becoming Stepfamily Smart (with Dr. Gary Chapman), The Smart Stepfamily: 7 Steps to a Healthy Family, and Preparing to Blend. Ron is a licensed marriage and family therapist, popular conference speaker, and host of the FamilyLife Blended podcast. He and his wife, Nan, have three sons and live in Little Rock, Arkansas. Learn more at FamilyLife.com/blended.
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When a parent dies, a child needs to stay in touch.
Ron: When a parent dies, a child needs to stay in touch.
Announcer: For FamilyLife Blended®, here’s Ron Deal.
Ron: Children of divorce can stay in contact with both parents. When a parent dies a child can’t. But in her book, Stepparenting the Grieving Child, author Diane Fromme points out that the need to maintain an emotional connection to a parent does not end just because the parent dies.
The living parent and stepparent can help with this: acknowledge the deceased parent over time; write letters or song lyrics to the parent; look at pictures and talk about them; and put an empty chair at the table for special meals. Help the child bring the deceased parent along with them through life and a healthy connection will endure. For FamilyLife Blended I’m Ron Deal.
Announcer: Find more at familylifeblended.com.
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