Even though most of us know and accept that grief doesn't have an end point, it can still be surprising to witness how much it impacts almost every aspect of our lives, including our relationships. This was true for Daniel, who was two days away from his 8th birthday when his father died of a brain tumor. When he was a kid, grief impacted Daniel's relationship with a sense of safety and security. As a young adult, it affected what he was looking for in his dating relationships. Throughout his life, it's shaped who and how he feels safe and comfortable connecting with.
We discuss:
- What Daniel remembers about getting the news that his dad was going to die.
- How the enormity of this loss became more real as he got older.
- The challenges he faced with trusting men, which affected his experience as gay man.
- How his coming out process may have been different if his dad was still alive.
- The parallels Daniels found in coming out as gay and coming out as having a parent who died - how both have left him feeling othered.
- How his grief impacted his dating relationships.
- What he's learned from volunteering in a peer grief support group for young children.
- What he's come to understand about grief over time.