When you hear of a parent outliving their child, do you have more sympathy for the parent or their deceased child?

[Anonymous]

My mil had to take her son at the age of 25 off of life support ten years ago and I have much sympathy for her as nobody especially a mother should have to experience that pain. Yes we mourned my bil but we grieved the loss of a part of mil that died with bil.

[Anonymous]

My grandmother lost her baby, who was 10 months old, due to a heart condition. When she was in her 80s, she lost my mother and my uncle to cancer, and my other aunt committed suicide. She passed away 2 years ago at 92 years old. I always felt so incredibly hurt for my grandmother. I feel like, as a parent, one of my worst nightmares is to outlive my children; she outlived four of hers.

[Anonymous]

I've heard it said that it's the worst pain of all to lose one's child. Answer: parents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've heard it said that it's the worst pain of all to lose one's child. Answer: parents

I just lost an identical twin three weeks ago. A brilliant man who was successful in every endeavour - from NCAA D1 athletics to academics to institutional finance - he was equally generous to a number of people, including me.

He had empathy. Our parents were abusive and then non-existent. We were completely on our own since age 17. I relied on him to often protect me (although I am no slouch), and as the deemed fat dumb and lazy loser in the family who was worthless, it was a great comfort to have him around.

I am certainly unmoored by this event much more than my parents who didn't give a care about me. Every day has a strange hole in it.

[Anonymous]

I don't bother having sympathy for someone who's dead. They're dead - they can't appreciate my sympathy. I save it for someone grieving.

[Anonymous]

Depends on how it happens.

Seeing your kid die at the prime of their life would be terrible. My grandmother lived to be 109, after being married at age 14 (in 1917). She outlived all of her children, some of her grandchildren who died perfectly natural deaths.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on how it happens.

Seeing your kid die at the prime of their life would be terrible. My grandmother lived to be 109, after being married at age 14 (in 1917). She outlived all of her children, some of her grandchildren who died perfectly natural deaths.

SP...
GREAT grandmother.

[Anonymous]

As someone of faith, I don’t send sympathy to the deceased since I believe they are at perfect peace. The ones who mourn, be it family or friends, have my sympathy as they are the ones who must carry on.

[Anonymous]

I had a friend die at 26. I stay in contact with her Mom and send her things around my friends birthday and Mother's Day because my friend can no longer do so. To me, loving my friend is showing her family love after she is gone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a friend die at 26. I stay in contact with her Mom and send her things around my friends birthday and Mother's Day because my friend can no longer do so. To me, loving my friend is showing her family love after she is gone.

That's really kind of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To me, it makes more sense for deceased to get more sympathy than their living parent(s), because it either means the child died young and/or the parent(s) are living long.

Once a person dies, they are free of all worries.

[Anonymous]

This is such an odd question. I'd like to think most of us have enough compassion in our hearts to care both for those who have died, and those left behind.

[Anonymous]

This question is deranged.