“The law on the side of freedom is of great advantage only when there is power to make that law respected.”
— Frederick Douglass
Grief removes the illusion of control. The death of a child leaves many parents feeling powerless in a world that no longer listens. Justice feels distant. Support often comes wrapped in words that do not help. Many grieving parents want to scream at the silence. Many hope someone will restore order to what has been broken. The world offers many promises, but grieving parents often find those promises fail under pressure. The freedom to grieve, to remember, to heal—those freedoms sometimes need defending.
Many systems do not understand the weight of child loss. Workplaces offer three days of bereavement, as if sorrow ends on a schedule. Friends grow quiet. Society looks away. Yet every parent who has endured this loss knows that grief does not operate on deadlines. Healing requires space, time, and dignity. The freedom to mourn is not automatic. Parents often need to claim that space with courage. The world does not always grant room for sorrow. Sometimes, grieving parents must make that room themselves.
Power takes many forms. Some power looks like advocacy. Other power looks like silence that refuses to fade. Grieving parents carry a deep truth. That truth becomes powerful when spoken without apology. The right to grieve with honesty must be defended gently but firmly. The pain of loss already feels like a rebellion against nature. The act of surviving becomes a kind of protest. Each moment of courage, no matter how small, commands the respect grief deserves.
Thought for today: Give yourself permission to grieve fully. Your love carries power, even when the world does not understand.