You can do this by:

• Talking to them (no you are not strange).
• Talking to others about them.
• Writing letters to them.
• Watching their favourite movies or listening to their favourite music.
• Visiting their grave or the place where their ashes are stored.
• Carrying their ashes or carrying something that belonged to them.
• Developing rituals that help keep you connected.

In fact you can do anything that you feel comfortable with that helps you keep a connection to them.

Challenges

Things that can make this hard are:

• Other people may give you the message, either directly or in a roundabout way, that this is weird and not healthy.
• It is not always easy to find people you can talk to about your parent who has died.
• You may be scared that you will upset people in your family if you continue to want to keep a connection with the person who has died.
• Other family members not wanting to participate in your rituals or activities.
• You may struggle if the other parent appears to be ‘getting on’ with their life.

Remember: Whatever you do, you need to keep yourself and those around you safe.

Sharing Things

Below is a tear off tip you can download and print to use to help you share things with your parent who has died.