There are 158.6 million daughters in the U.S. and any of them
could potentially lose their mothers at any time, even if they are still in
childhood.
“Mortality rates for adults in their 40s and 50s in the past two decades
have risen dramatically, making it more likely that younger children
will experience the death of a parent, or a classmate’s parent. ‘Kids are
encountering death more often and at a younger age — It’s just inevitable,”
said Gerald Koocher in an article in Wall Street Journal (GriefSpeaks.com).
Over 2 million school teachers (69% of teachers) have a child in
their class who is dealing with the death of an immediate family member or
close friend.
About 85% of parents who lost a spouse said that they wished
there were more resources for their grieving children.
According to a survey by New York Life/NAGC: Forty-three percent of
parents “worry daily about how their children are coping,” and nearly 6 of
10 say that it is “hard to know what (their) child needs from (them).”
What if they could just hear the words, see the images and feel the
emotions straight from the heart of a child?
The Daffodils Still Grow: A Book for Grieving Daughters is an illustrated book that portrays life after a loved one dies as
seen from the observations of a motherless child. It was adapted from real
diary entries of a girl who had just lost her mother — me, Sherri Elizabeth
Tidwell — nearly 20 years ago, when I was 14. Those feelings still ring true
for millions of people today.
Why is this book important?
There are many reasons:
1. Young daughters who lose their mothers often have never
experienced a loss with such a great impact before, and they don't know what to
expect. Imagine how scary it is to not know what’s ahead
2. For the millions of family members, friends, guidance counselors,
therapists and teachers in the world who so desperately want to help these
young girls who have lost their mothers, this book provides them with a window
of insight into their lives and into their feelings. This allows them to
help the girls in much more meaningful ways and to be more sensitive and
aware of the struggles that they find so hard to put into words.
3. This book also allows those same family members and friends to be
the hero, in a sense. No one ever feels as helpless and powerless as they
do when someone they care about has suffered the death of a family member. These
people, themselves, need to be reassured that they have done something
comforting and helpful. This book makes the perfect gift for a girl who has
just lost her mom. It is beautiful in its illustrations. The front page allows
you to personalize it with the child’s name, and it lets that child know that
she is not alone. Little girls will remember everything about the day their
mother died and about what happened right afterward. This book will be
something that she keeps for the rest of her life. It is a beautiful reminder
that her mother’s legacy is always carried on through her and that someone
cared enough to know what she needed to hear and to let her know that she was not
alone.
4. Finally, since girls never stop grieving their mothers no matter how
old they are, this book is the perfect gift for anyone who lost her mom, no
matter how mature she is now. According to statistics, 69% of Americans
who lost a parent growing up still think about their parent frequently. One
woman, Ann Pollock from Fort Worth, Texas, responded to the book by saying, “I
lost my mother… when I was 11. I'm now 70, and I cried like a baby reading
this. Those feelings, so poignant, so real, came rushing back. Thank you for
putting beautiful words to so many of the emotions that still come unbidden
after almost 60 years.”
More reviews:
- “This touching book so beautifully illustrates the complexity of a
young girl’s grief journey and how love leaves a legacy and hope. Our
counseling team will share this book with their families to inspire and help
them carry the legacy of their loved ones into the future.” – Kerry Menn,
LPC-S, Director of Programs, Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas
- “I need this book to help grieving children. God bless you.” –
Jill Powell, Serenity Bereavement Resource Network
- “This is beautiful… important for any age!" - Katie
Etzkorn Wedding of Wicki’s Wings: Gifts for Grieving Children
- “Inspirational!” – AfterTalk Grief Support
When I lost my mother at 14 years old, I was a mess. One of the hardest
things I remember was trying to make my dad understand how I felt, and it
wasn't just hard on me. It was hard on him too. Death is so much different for
a child than it is for an adult. If my dad would have had a book like this to
read, it would have let him know that I was normal and that the feelings I felt
were normal – and that it wasn't anything that he was doing wrong or that I was
doing wrong. It’s just the process of grief. Sometimes, adults need to
see that from the point of view of a child, and children need to hear it too,
to know that they are understood.
The Daffodils Still Grow: A Book for Grieving Daughters does exactly that for children, which is why it is a must-have gift for
daughters grieving for their mothers. Be sure to check out The Daffodils
Still Grow’s narrated version for free on YouTube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-W_ok28nI4.
Also, you can order copies here: http://www.amazon.com/Daffodils-Still-Grow-Sherri-Tidwell/dp/1631771892/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456175659&sr=8-1&keywords=the+daffodils+still+grow.
About the Author:
The
Daffodils Still Grow was inspired by diary entries of the author/illustrator, Sherri Elizabeth
Tidwell, after the death of her mother when she was 14. “My mother committed suicide when I was 14, and after
nearly a year of crying and hurting, I was surprised -- almost shocked -- to
see the daffodils she planted right before her death still bloom again. It was
a big wake-up call to me that, even though she was gone, I could still carry on
without her FOR her. Somehow, our loved ones still find a way of communicating
with us when we need it the most." Sherri Elizabeth now attends Seton Hill
University’s MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction. She has a BA in both
communications and studio arts from Austin Peay State University. She
hopes that every parent will know how irreplaceable and loved they are to their
children and that every child who has lost a parent will know they are not
alone. Remember, the daffodils still grow!
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