Letters to Adults

Dear Parent,
When i was grieving i wish you knew to leave me be and not overcrowd me. i wanted to be around you to forget why i was grieving, not to be bombarded, by questions about how i was feeling.

Dear auntie,
when i’m grieving, i wish you knew you don’t have to fix it. you can’t. sometimes i just want someone to say what i’m feeling but can’t say like, “this sucks.”

dear adults,
when i talk about my grandad dying please don’t say “at least he lived a long life” or “you had more time than some people” or stuff like that. i know you mean well but it kinda makes it worse. like i’m not meant to feel this sad.

You don’t need to write it perfectly. Just say what’s real. This could be your space to help adults understand.

Sometimes when I bring him up, people get weird or change the subject, or look at me like I should stop. That just makes me feel like I’m not allowed to remember him or that he didn’t really matter. And that’s worse than the sadness.

I hate going to school acting normal, i hate being the one who has to keep quiet about it. People may think im too young to care but what they dont realize is that, I too have memories with her, i also loved her, and i also lost her. If you're going through even a tiny bit of grief, you are not alone at all. Your sadness is valid.

You don’t need to write it perfectly. Just say what’s real. This could be your space to help adults understand.