Parent Footprint With Dr. Dan

Dr. Dan welcomes back parent and author Laura Zigman to discuss parental grief, Well-Child Syndrome, sibling loss, and her book Small World. Laura Zigman grew up in the shadow of her parents’ grief after her oldest sister died.  In her just released novel Small World, Laura fictionalizes and writes poignantly about her own childhood as a typical sibling of a disabled sister who died. Despite the fact that Laura Zigman (and her sister Linda Zigman barely knew Sheryl), Laura’s childhood and her entire life were defined by this loss.   Dr. Dan and Laura honestly discuss the many ways typical siblings experience disability, sibling loss, and parental grief.  The concept of Well-Child Syndrome and supporting “well” or typical siblings is still not widely discussed. Today’s episode reveals the desperate need for mental health support for siblings and entire families – not just parents - when dealing with disability, illness, death, loss, and grief.   This episode also addresses guilt, pain, and other complex emotio