Grief and guilt are two emotions that families often experience when their child has had a brain injury. These feelings are normal. Many parents and siblings experience them.
Grief can be confusing. You may wonder why you are sad when your child has survived:
- After severe injuries, changes in the teen’s abilities and personality may be a source of sadness and grief.
- Parents may also grieve the loss of their family as a “safe haven” where bad things don’t happen.
Like other grief, grief that occurs after a teen’s injury can be accompanied by anger, guilt, feelings of fear and vulnerability, and questions such as, “why did this happen to my child and my family?” As you already know, these questions do not have any real answers.