How to Celebrate Mother's Day After the Death of a Child

Sometimes the world doesn't turn like we think it should. That's the way it looks to a parent whose child has died. To those parents or those mothers being able to get through a day that is supposed to be a happy day of celebration, Mother's Day, it can be an emotionally painful ordeal. Use the following suggestions to guide yourself or another mother who has lost a child to try to find ways to celebrate on Mother's Day.

Instructions

1. Remind yourself that you are a mother even if your child has died. Especially if it was your only child, the loss of a child, no matter what age, is devastating. Concentrate on the good times you had with your child or baby and not on the death. Plan ahead of time what you want to accomplish on Mother's Day to honor your child. Don't wait until the day as it will be too emotional. Planning ahead is the key to getting through the day and feeling better about it each time you do it.

2. Put some photos together to hang or display in your home. Select photos that bring a smile to your face. Go a step further and compile a scrapbook of all the special times and memories with your child. This may be difficult at first to get started, but as you move along with the project, it should give you a sense of joy and comfort to honor your child this way.

3. Join support groups that specialize in parents that have lost a child. You will meet other parents and mothers that have lost a child or baby. No one understands better than someone who knows the pain that you feel. Plan to celebrate Mother's Day as a group to support each other.

4. Make a donation to an organization that helped your child while they were still alive, maybe a hospital, a library or a church that offered support. Do something positive for another child as a remembrance for your deceased child, especially if it is a child who has lost its mother.

5. Plant a tree on Mother's Day to watch it grow through the years. Take your photo with the tree each year on Mother's Day as a remembrance of your child. Maybe you would prefer to grow a flower garden that would have many colorful blooms that would represent your child's favorite colors. Add a new plant to the garden each Mother's Day in remembrance.

6. Talk to a mother who has lost her child. Many times, people don't talk about the child that died and this makes the mother or parents very sad as they know that their child did exist. Just simply ask them if they would like to talk about their child. Some mothers may really want to talk about their children and others may not. Take the mother a plant or a Mother's Day card.

7. Concentrate on your other children on Mother's Day if you have other children. Write a poem together or plant a flower together and talk to them about their sibling as, no matter how young they are, they may feel the loss as well.