A bereaved father shares that he doesn’t feel he is spending enough time “with” his son who has died. “When you drive away from the cemetery, you feel guilty.” He shares strategies that help, including putting photos of his son everywhere. The mom shares her fears, which are different, including the notion that her son’s grave is buried with snow and her guilt that she might want another child.

A mom talks about the parents and medical team decided to stop treating their son’s illness and to bring him home for the remainder of his life — they celebrated his birthday early, had visitors, kept him comfortable — and how this helped the rest of the family “not be scared.”

Parents share their decision to stop treating their son’s pneumonia and the support they received from their medical team and palliative care team.

A couple talks about anticipating what it will be like AFTER their son dies.

A couple shares how they started making arrangements for their child’s death shortly following his diagnosis, and disagreed on this one major point. The father talks about the importance of having the casket open: “I was a proud father and wanted to stand next to him. I wanted people to see my boy.”

Grief counselor Nancy Frumer Styron discusses how parents may make a decision that they aren’t going to provide any more medical care and now need homecare support for their child, such as hospice. A couple shares their story about saying no to surgery and transitioning their son to end-of-life hospice care.

A mom talks about how she’d planned for her son’s end-of-life, but he had his own plans. Her primary concern was the other siblings. She anticipated that the real problem was going to be AFTER.

A father and mother describe the last hour of their son’s life, at home, with hospice. It was peaceful, emotionally painful, and powerful. The father describes carrying him to the hearse.

Grief counselor Nancy Frumer Styron discusses the importance of a couple recognizing the division of labor and the role each parent plays. A father shares his struggle with having to leave his son every day to go to his job, but accepting his role as provider.