How to Help a Bereaved Parent - WikiHow

How to Help a Bereaved Parent (click on the title)

This is an excellent article and video from WikiHow on how to be a friend or relative to a grieving parent whose child has died, the best I've seen. Especially good are the short video and tips at the end. Three years ago, before Leif died, this would have been just "information" for me. Now I can relate to everything said and it is all so true. Save this or bookmark it in case you ever need it. I hope none of this blog's readers every experience the death of their child.
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The photo of Leif was taken at Lovers Point in Monterey, California in July 1980 when Leif was five years old.

"On the Rocks" at Lover's Point, Monterey, California

Here's another photo of Leif in a brief moment of stillness when he was climbing around on the rocks at Lover's Point in Monterey, California where his paternal grandmother lived at the time. He loved climbing on rocks, logs, anything like that, when he was a kid, like a little mountain goat, always sure of himself. I was the nervous mommy, hoping he wouldn't fall and get hurt. He never did. This was taken in July 2980 when he was five and a half years old.

Leif - Monterey, California - July 1980 - Age 5

The summer of 1980, we moved from Sachsen bei Ansbach, Germany to Japan. On the way, we visited England, family in Kansas, Peter W's mother, Ellen Garretson, in Monterey, California, and stopped to enjoy Hawaii.

Leif was to visit Monterey and his grandmother there several more times with us over the years, but this was his first time there. He had a great time walking (and running) along the trail by the sea to Lovers Point, which is where the "little devil with horns" photo was taken. He scrambled all over the rocks. Had me scared, as usual, but he was fearless.

Sometimes Leif liked posing for photos, and he tolerated it if someone was just taking candid shots of whatever he was doing, but he (like most kids) didn't relish posing for family group shots. You can see him acting really silly in the one with me, Ellen, and Peter A, who was eleven years old.