Helping Parents Grieve

Khris Ford and Paula D'Arcy, who both lost children, produced this documentary aimed at helping parents and family members understand and deal with grief following the death of a child. “There's no MapQuest for grief,” D'Arcy says. “It breaks the order of the universe, and there's no preparation.” But over time, she has learned “a new language, the language of the heart” as her grief has grown into an understanding that the essence of her child will always be a part of her. The members of a support group in Austin, TX, add their stories and insights in this program divided into five sections: “Knowing You Are Not Alone,” “Dealing with the Loss of Hopes and Dreams,” “Grieving the Death of a Baby,” “The Family's Grief Journey,” and “How to Honor and Remember Your Child.” Instead of platitudes, Ford and D'Arcy offer concrete explanations and examples of people coping with what one woman (whose adult daughter died of cancer) refers to as “a paradigm shift.” At one point Ford, whose teenage son was killed in a car accident, simply notes how she realized while attending a wedding that “I would never be the mother of a groom.” Although the heartbreaking subject makes this sometimes difficult to watch, the overarching message in this powerful and genuinely helpful guide is one of hope and acceptance. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (F. Gardner)