re: You ever find it weird when people talk about dead children

No. One of my brothers lost his eldest in a small plane crash in 2002 shortly after he graduated from college. At family gatherings his name still comes up in conversation among my siblings and his older cousins. I am the oldest of my siblings. That nephew and I had a special bond as he was the eldest of his siblings. We often spoke about that. He was also the eldest grandchild.

We all feel a loss, but his immediate family has truly been scarred by his death. I only have one child and do not know how I would handle his loss.

Anything a parent needs to do to cope with such a horrendous loss is OK in my book.