How My Husband and I Keep the Spirit of My Father Alive with Our Kids
Talking to your kids about loved ones who have passed can help keep the memories alive.
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Keep talking. It’s one of the lessons I learned from the death of my grandmother when I was young. My parents and aunts and uncles never stopped talking about my grandmother. They talked about her so much to the point that my two younger cousins—one who was too young to remember her and the other who was born after she had passed away—can tell the stories and family lore almost as well as the rest of us.
I talk to our kids because I really thought we would have more time with my Dad than we got. I talk to our kids because I want them to know how proud he would’ve been of all their accomplishments, both great and small. Talk to your kids about loved ones who have passed because you love them, and you want your kids to know how important this person was (and still is) in your life. Talk about them because you know how much they would’ve loved your kids.
Talk about loved ones who have passed because your kids will do or say things that will remind you of them. Share with your kids the things that brought those loved ones joy. You never know when you will find a shared passion or a simple moment of appreciation. I wish my Dad was here to get to know our kids in all of his three-dimensional glory, but I do the best I can both to honor his memory and to connect our kids to the grandfather they will never know.
The ability to talk to our kids about my Dad is one of the greatest gifts my family gave me. Now I’m hoping I can inspire some of you to share that gift with your kids as well.
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