One of the hardest part of being a mother is watching your child wrestle with grief.
At times, that grief will come from something you did, or failed to do, and you will be left to grapple with their disappointment. Not the type of disappointment that comes from telling them they can’t have another piece of candy, but the type where the dreams held fast in their young hearts are unable to be acquired, despite all of you’re good intentions and efforts in trying to make them a reality.
Then there will be those instances where grief comes with deep questions regarding health and sickness, life and death. With the changing of the seasons, flowers wither and plants die. Spring can bring the beauty of new life, but at times, especially as seen on a farm, that life can end quicker than it began. In September, when tender hearts learn about Terry Fox and then realize that members of their own family have passed away from cancer, they will ask if they too could someday get sick and die.
Questions surrounding death are valid at any age, ones that each of us have to grapple with sooner or later. And as a mother, there’s the hope that we can shield our children to a certain extent, protecting them from the grief and fragility of it all. The beauty of children, however, is the innocence that comes with a lack of experience and exposure. Their hearts are still soft, allowing grief to ebb and flow in and out of the corners of their eyes while simultaneously being able to still giggle at something funny a few moments later. Valuable are the lessons we could learn from them, instead of trying so hard to shield and protect them out of our own fear and lack of understanding.
Even so, one of the hardest parts of being a mother is watching your child wrestle with grief.
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