No one can anticipate how they will feel or react after the death of a child. Each person grieves and responds differently. 

You can't prepare for how you will grieve. Parents and family often feel overwhelmed and experience intense and unfamiliar feelings. 

Dealing with grief is different for everyone so it’s important not to compare one person’s grief with another. 

Here are some things to keep in mind:

• There is no right or wrong way to feel or grieve
• Everyone grieves in their own way
• Grief has no set pattern or rules
• There isn’t a timeline for grief
• There are no shortcuts to overcome grief
• Some days will be worse than others
• It will get easier to handle with time

“Bear Cottage has made the worst part of our lives bearable, memorable and for moments here and there, enjoyable. You have each given us strength and we have needed all you have given. This now becomes the thing that defines us, the loss of a child, but you have made it the best it could be.”