It wasn’t just the loss of her younger brother. He was her best friend.

I had seen my kids sad, but they had never experienced deep sorrow like this. I realized that this wasn’t going to affect just me and my husband; it was going to impact them too.

If you have other children, their grief will be influenced by their ages, development, and relationships with their sibling who died. This may or may not be their first experience grieving a death.

You may need to ask others for additional support as you look for ways to help your living child/children while you are grieving. Many resources that provide useful information about supporting children are available.

What may help

• Acknowledge the challenges of continuing to parent while you’re grieving. You will need both time and support as you find ways to balance meeting your own needs and those of your living child/children.

• As much as possible, spend time with your living child/children. It’s important for them to know that you are still there for them.

• Call on family members and friends to provide whatever assistance you need at this time. For example, you could ask someone to spend time with your child/children, doing an activity that they enjoy.

• Older children and adult children may feel that their grief is not as important as yours. It’s okay to let them comfort you but remember that they also need comfort and support. Let them know that you acknowledge they are grieving too, and that you will get through this together.