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 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 ...more
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.
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