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Grieving Dad
Kelly Farley, Illinois USA
www.grievingdads.com
From DADLY Dads: Parent of the 21st Century Copyright © 2018 Motivational Press. Reprinted with permission. By Hogan Hilling and Austin Dowd.
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I’m a dad to two children who did not outlive me. I sadly experienced the loss of two babies over an 18-month period- my daughter Katie, in 2004, and son, Noah, in 2006. Like many men, I felt like I was the only dad who had experienced the death of a child. I spent several years trying to put my life back together.
During my journey, my discovery that our culture doesn’t feel comfortable with an openly grieving male inspired me to start the Grieving Dads Project and author a book titled, Grieving Dads: To the Brink and Back. My passion is to help parents “pick up the pieces” after a profound life event.
Quote.
There’s no tragedy in life like the death of a child. Things never get back to the way they were.
~Dwight D. Eisenhower
What I do well as a dad.
I try to live my life in a way that would make my kids proud.
What I learned from another dad.
I am not alone in my pain and sorrow after losing my children. As men, we are often expected to suppress our pain and emotions. As a result, we feel alone because no one is talking about it. Allowing one’s self to be vulnerable and transparent is the only way to truly survive the loss of a child.
Lesson learned from my child.
The love of a child is the most profound love that survives the most horrific of circumstances.
Successful fatherhood moment.
The day I published my book Grieving Dads to the Brink and Back. It fulfilled a promise to do something to help other parents and also honor my two children, Katie and Noah.
Dad I admire.
I admire all of the dads I’ve met who drummed up the courage to participate in the Grieving Dads Project.
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Originally published in DADLY Dads: Parent of the 21st Century Copyright © 2018 Motivational Press. Reprinted with permission.
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Photos courtesy of the author.
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