author Sherrie Tidwell speaks....

WHY THE DAFFODILS STILL GROW: A BOOK FOR GRIEVING DAUGHTERS IS A MUST-HAVE GIFT FOR EVERY LITTLE GIRL GRIEVING THE LOSS OF HER MOTHER

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 of you, to not know how to put into words what you feel and to not even know if what you feel is normal or not. This book prepares young girls for the road ahead that they will encounter within the first year after the death of their mothers. It validates their feelings, and it gives them a real sense of hope to hang onto. 

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. 

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