Before their time : adult children's experiences of parental suicides

Before Their Time is the first work to present adult children survivors' (defined as eighteen or above at the time of the parent's death) accounts of their loss, grief, and resolution following a parent's suicide. In one section, the book offers the perspectives of sons and daughters on the deaths of mothers; in another, the perspectives of sons and daughters on the deaths of fathers. In a third section, four siblings reflect on the shared loss of their mother. Each of these survivors faces the common difficulties associated with losing a loved one by suicide. They also experience difficulties specific to their status as both adult and child. Topics such as the impact of the parent's suicide on adult children's personal and professional choices, marriages and parenting, sibling and surviving parent relationships are explored with sensitivity and insight. Various coping skills, including humor, are described. The writers describe feelings of regret and responsibility related to their parent's suicide. They express concern about other family members' vulnerability to suicide. They speak openly about the fears and stresses they face and how they cope with them. The authors ranged in age from nineteen to thirty-six at the time of the parent's death. Between one and twenty-five years have passed since that tragedy. In addition to the first-person narratives, the book includes a resource section with a national listing of suicide survivor support groups; an overview of existing research on survivors of suicide by John L. McIntosh, past president of the American Association of Suicidology; and an essay on elderly suicide by David C. Clark, secretary-general, International Association for Suicide, and editor-in-chief of Crisis. The book is introduced with a Foreword by Rev. Charles Rubey, founder and director of Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide. Section I. Loss Of A Mother. Daughters : A Joyful Spirit / Treva Gordon ; Home And Beyond / Stephanie Weber ; Center Piece / Kimberley Garnhart ; Changes Of Direction / Marcia Angelos -- Sons : Caretaking / Doug Battema ; The Prodigal Son Diaries / Todd Tobias ; Crossroads / Tom Dalton ; Range Of Vision / Mark Stringer -- Intermezzo : Grandchildren ; Suicide As Family Destiny? -- Section Ii. Loss Of A Father. Daughters : Old At Heart / Heather Zuzick ; Growing Toward The Light / Wanda Ford-petrevics ; A Saving Curse / Suzanne Gardner ; I Will Not Die Of Regret: A Letter To My Father / Greacian Goeke -- Sons : Of Fathers And Sons / John F. ; The Process Of Cultivating / Paul J. ; Flying Lessons / James A. Gessner -- Intermezzo : Professional Life ; Life Without A Parent -- Section Iii. Perspectives On A Common Loss. Daughters : Uncommon Grace / Mary Stimming ; Endings And Beginnings / Maureen Stimming -- Sons : It's The Story Of A Lovely Lady / Christopher Stimming ; What Life Has To Offer / Joseph Stimming -- Section Iv. Research And Resources. The Puzzle Of Suicide In Late Life / David C. Clark ; Research On Survivors Of Suicide / John L. Mcintosh ; Directory Of Suicide Survivor Support Groups. Edited By Mary Stimming And Maureen Stimming. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Features first-person accounts by daughters and sons of the impact of parental suicide on them and their families. This work also explores topics such as the impact of the parent's suicide on adult children's personal and professional choices, marriages and parenting, sibling and surviving parent relationships, with coping skills, and humor.