Parent After You've Lost a Child

Parenting a surviving sibling, especially another toddler or infant, is a subject which has not been addressed well. There is no "What to Expect" book for this, no "Nanny 911," nothing. There are some basic things to keep in mind.

Steps

 * 1) *Do not direct your anger towards your surviving children. Anger/rage is a normal part of the grief process, but don't let it get in the way of your relationship with the rest of the family.
 * 2) Call for help if you ever feel like you are losing it or going to go out of control,
 * 3) *Hire a babysitter of caregiver if you can to come assist you for a bit after your extended family has gone. Toddlers are still toddlers, and will continue their developmental phases of testing your limits, so give yourself a break.
 * 4) *Be ready for some backsliding. Four to five months out seems to be a very hard time for everyone who has lost a child. You are expected by others, to be back to normal, or even "over it" and the regular pressures of parenting can feel overwhelming.

Related

 * How to Determine if Your Child Is Being Bullied
 * How to Stimulate Children's Self Confidence
 * How to Protect Your Child from Identity Theft
 * How to View the World from Your Child's Perspective