"You Should Have Had More Children"

At a recent dinner, I sat next to a woman who knew Marcy through others. We were never very friendly, although I've known her for many years. She turned to me and said, "You know, it is very sad that Marcy died, but you should have had more children. Then it wouldn't have been so tragic for you. You would have at least had other children in your life."

I was stunned that anyone would say that to a bereaved mother, no matter how long ago the child had died. Was she trying to comfort me? Did she think she was showing me she cared about me? I felt insulted. I wanted to say, "You stupid person. You have obviously never had a child die nor know anything about it."

But I kept my voice calm and said, "Another child doesn't replace the one you lost, nor does another child even ease the pain of the loss. Each child is a separate individual, loved unconditionally." And besides, I thought to myself, I could never bear the thought of ever going through this again with another child, although there are many parents who have lost more than one child and survived.

I explained to this woman that I did try to have more than one child. I lost one in a miscarriage and was told not to get pregnant again due to health reasons. "Oh," was all she said.

As I looked at this woman who just turned to talk to someone else, I could see she never for one minute thought she had said anything offensive. Thinking about it, she probably voiced what others only think but never say.

When I told this story at a bereavement meeting recently, most rolled their eyes, shook their heads, and look disgusted.Then a few began telling me their own stories, some very similar to mine. One bereaved mother after a year of grieving went out to lunch with some friends. She related that one of her friends said, "We assume you are all better now; it's been a year, so why don't you try to have more children. At least then our children will be close in age and grow up together." Angered, the mother told this so-called friend that she did not manufacture children at a moment's notice; she was not over the loss; and it was really none of her business.

And still another mother at the meeting related how, at a wedding, an old friend said, "Why so sad looking?" She said she had just been thinking of her son and how much he would have liked to have been there. The response was: "Oh, get over it. It's been long enough. Time to move on." The bereaved mother said simply and calmly, "I am trying to move on, but it's difficult at times." She then turned around and left the party. "I cried all the way home," said the mother.

The grief journey is hard enough without others attempting to tell us how to live our lives. They have no idea what it is like to lose a child and I, personally, hope they never have to be in that situation.

I wish there was a way to educate people as to how to act, react, what to say, and particularly what not to say to a bereaved parent. It would make our journey a little less stressful.

Note: I invite those who are bereaved parents to comment as to what you would have responded to any of these women.