Grief around our children’s disabilities can take many forms. Some of us are grieving the life we thought we’d have with our child that looks so very different now. Others of us are grieving the very real possibility of losing them too soon.

In this episode, therapist and fellow disability parent Amanda Griffith-Atkins joins me to talk about the complicated grief that comes with raising a disabled or medically complex child.

We explore how this grief can morph and change, how it shows up in the quiet, ordinary moments, and how deeply human it is to wish things were easier —not because our children aren’t loved, but because they so deeply are. We also talk about why shame so often gets tangled up in these emotions, and what it looks like to let yourself feel without guilt.

Also, a big thanks to Kate Farms for sponsoring this important episode!

Links

Learn more about the many products Kate Farms offers for our formula and tube-fed kids!

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Listen to previous episodes with Amanda:

Ep 182 on Hobbies

Ep 171 on Financial Strain

Ep 159 on Sharing the Mental Load

Ep 156 on Getting a Divorce

Ep 153 on Hurtful Things Loved Ones Say

Ep 147 on Sex and Disability Parenting

Ep 142 on If My Disabled Child Outlives Me

Ep 135 on Career and Family Roles

Ep 132 on Self-Care

Ep 131 on Chronic Stress

Ep 130 on Anticipatory Grief

Ep 99 on Family Planning

Ep 85 on Parental Identity

Ep 81 on Health Anxiety

& our holiday season eps: Being Hospitalized During Holidays - Isolating at Home During Holidays & Why Holidays Can Suck.