Dad chats live: This week we talked about baby loss, grief and it’s affect on our mental health, with special guest Gary Anderson (@gary_secure_mind_solutions ). This is another subject that is so important to talk about, and we couldn't have done it without our special guest.
Gary talked openly about discovering his twin daughters had Twin To Twin Syndrome - a serious condition that can cause life threatening illness in unborn twins. He told us about their birth, and travelling 60 miles away from his wife with one of his twin daughters, Alana, to another hospital. Sadly Alana didn't survive. But there was no time to grieve, as they had another baby, Dana, to be strong for. When their second baby lost her life, Gary buried his grief.
He told us how he pushed his grief down for 14 years, not talking about it, taking risky jobs and not caring about putting his life in danger. Although this is a sad and difficult subject, Gary's story is also inspirational. Gary is still here today because he got some help and started talking about his daughters. This really is another unmissable chat.
Gary has also written a blog about his experience. There are more than 5000 deaths of babies and infants a year. in the UK, this is a subject that needs to be talked about.
Click here to read the blog post A Fathers Grief The Impact of Baby Loss.
Gary has also written a book about his daughters and his experience of loss and grief. The book is called Daddy and the Two Bears, and can be found here.
Dad Chats Live - 18 September 2020: talking about approaching grief with children, crying in front of your kids and your dream man cave?!
Grief is something that will impact all of our lives, and no matter how much we want to protect our children from that, it will impact them to. So this week we chatted about approaching grief with children. We talked about the impact of grief on our kids, how we talk to them about it and we got some great advice about this subject. From how we talk to our kids about grief, to helping them navigate the difficult emotions it brings up. A must watch.
Next up, we talked about crying in front of our kids. Years ago, men would avoid crying in public as it was believed to be a sign of weakness. That opinion has changed dramatically over the last 20-30 years, but would you cry in front of your children? This is something that some dads still wouldn't feel comfortable doing. So, we asked if you have cried in front of your children, how they reacted, and why we think it is an important thing to do.
Last up, for our light-hearted topic, we asked what our community would have in their dream man cave - and we got some great ideas!
Topics we covered:
1. Dealing with Grief. No matter whether it's a pet, a friend, or a grandparent it is tough for everyone involved. Let's open the topic right up. Tell us all your thoughts and feelings.
2. Crying in front of your kids.
3. Our light hearted topic this week is... What would you have in your dream man cave?
Did you enjoy this topic? Find more great Dad Chats Live here.
