Product Description
Author Nikki King & Alice Rampton
The pain of losing a child to death is real. Friends, family, and parents of children of all ages who have passed on will find an empathetic voice in this book full of real-life advice from parents who've been there. Learn what to do as a parent, what not to say as a friend, and how to preserve precious memories during times of mourning and moving forward.
Death takes many forms: overdose, suicide, accident, disease, murder, and the unknown. We don't pretend to understand the emotions or experiences of all parents who have lost a child; we wrote this book based on our own personal journeys. You didn't sign up for this experience, but you are now part of a group of parents who have a very unique story to share. We hope this book offers comfort in knowing that you are not alone.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Dedication To Those We Love and Remember
Preface Our Stories
Chapter 1 Is What I'm Feeling Normal?
Chapter 2 Funerals, Obituaries, and Memorial Services:
Things You Never Wanted to Know
Chapter 3 Stages of Grief
Chapter 4 How Long Will This Last?
Chapter 5 The Guilt and "What Ifs"
Chapter 6 Triggers
Chapter 7 Healthy Healing
Chapter 8 Well-Meaning Comments and Questions
Chapter 9 Relationship Under Stress: Spouse or Significant Other
Chapter 10 Support for Surviving Children
Chapter 11 Faith and Hope
Chapter 12 A New Perspective
Chapter 13 Ways to Remember your Child
Chapter 14 Friends and Family: How to Help
Chapter 15 The Children Who Inspire Us
Chapter 16 To Do: Your Child's Life Story
Chapter 17 Bibliography
Alice H. Rampton grew up in Oregon, Thailand, and Japan. She received a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Oregon and taught elementary school. She is a community activist with youth, historical, and cultural organizations in Corvallis, Oregon. She has received many awards for her civic and international work. Alice codirects The TOUCH Project (Take One Ukrainian Child's Hand), a nonprofit that works to improve the quality of life for over three hundred children in Ukraine. She is the mother of seven children and a grandmother to nearly twenty. Married to Mark Rampton, a family practice physician, Alice enjoys hiking, traveling, family history, reading, museums, and being with friends and family. When her daughter, Lora, died in 1986, her perspective on the meaning of life changed forever.
Nikki King was born in Spokane, Washington, and loves the Northwest. As a youth, she represented the United States as a student ambassador in Australia. She attended several universities and obtained a degree in sociology and leadership management. Her greatest joy is in the home with her family-baking and doing crafts. She volunteers in her children's school and serves in her church and community youth programs. She enjoys coaching children's gymnastics and playing softball. Losing a brother and a daughter, coupled with her background in sociology, gives Nikki a unique perspective on grief and its consequences. In this book, she reaches out to those who are suffering and offers support to those who experience loss.
Cedar Fort