What I Learned About Losing a Step-Child

The title of this article by Paula Stephens “What I Wish More People Understood About Losing a Child” quickly caught my attention on my friend, Lisa Payne’s Facebook page the other day. With the article, Lisa posted “I haven’t lost a child. I know people who have…While I felt the article was well-written and insightful, I do not know if it accurately depicts the feelings of those who have suffered this type of loss…” in preparation for her Pastoral Care final.

Unfortunately, I know this type of loss…from a different angle. The perspective I am about to share with you is from a unique position – the step-parent.

My tendency is to begin with “My husband, Besh, lost his son in 2012 due to a motorbike accident” but what I’d really like to say, for the purpose of this article, is “I lost my 30-year-old step-son, Carl Beshara, in 2012.”

Since that awful day in September I have been on the wildest roller coaster ride of my life. I know I will never be able to completely get over the shock and Besh will never be the same again. The “new normal” as they call it…and that’s the closest description there is.

I wasn’t fond of the term “step-parent” from the minute I married into my two “kids”, Carl (21) and Tiffany (17) – flashbacks to Disney movies with evil step-mothers or something. I had always said I wanted kids who were already born, could take care of themselves and we could hang around, have a drink and a laugh. And that’s exactly what I got. These kids were already cool independent people who didn’t need a step-mother and I wasn’t looking to be a mother either so it was a perfect match!

So for almost 10 years, these 2 kids became a big part of my life equation without me even realizing what had developed along the way.

Then when we got the call late one Saturday night on Labor Day weekend, I automatically and instinctively went into support mode for Besh and Tiffany. I just needed to make sure they were okay. That was all I could concentrate on and that was my sole purpose through all this. It helped me survive the shock, I realize now.

As I said to Lisa on Facebook “The hardest part is to just be with someone while they’re falling apart without trying to make them better.”

I hadn’t noticed that in this process I had put my own feelings of loss on the back burner. This was the ‘for better or for worse’ situation at its finest. I needed to be strong. How could I be a wreck on a day where Besh was feeling good? I just couldn’t do it to him…or me. Those happy moments are so precious after a life shock that we have to let them happen as long as they can…before reality and sadness hits again.

That being said, I still had/have my moments of tears and Besh has said many times, “It’s okay for you to be sad too.” And I know it’s true but it’s still difficult sometimes. I have cried and do cry, but it would usually be while I was talking about Besh and Tiffany’s loss. Their loss makes me the saddest – even more than my own.

The awareness of my unique position came to me awhile after Carl passed away when my longtime friend, Carolyn, asked me one day how Besh was doing and out of my mouth fired “What about how I’m doing?” I shocked myself! Her eyes filled up with tears because she realized she hadn’t even asked about me all this time. We both cried and I talked about how hard it is to juggle all these things at once – being strong, holding the space, hoping with all my heart that Besh is going to survive this and practically praying for Tiffany to find her happiness and live a good life…and experiencing my personal loss.

Sometimes I felt guilty talking about my grief even when the time was right. I thought ‘How can you talk about your pain when it wasn’t even your son?’ It was a self-imposed comparative dialogue in my head that I just couldn’t shake.

2 ½ years later, having done a lot of inner work and accepting that Besh and Tiffany are okay and they will survive, I’m finding I can feel and talk about my own pain a little more, with less guilt and hesitation. I believe that if they can survive this then I certainly can too.

What I have also learned through this process is that the grief of a step-parent is under-acknowledged and has to wait its turn sometimes. It’s just the way it is and it makes sense.

So my advice for those of you who know a step-parent who has lost one of their kids – from time to time, ask them how they are doing and just let them cry and spill when they break down in front of you. Stay with them knowing there is nothing you can do to make them feel better but just asking them how they are doing acknowledges their loss too. And that helps to mend the wound.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Keli-Ann Pye-Beshara is a blogger and professional visual artist in Holyrood, Newfoundland, known for her vibrant whimsical visions of architecture and landscapes. Her fun and unique personality make her a hit on social media where she has a dedicated following of Newfoundland and art enthusiasts from all over the world. She became known as "The Social Artist" for her public painting events such as the 8-day creation of her 14 foot Cut-Out painting 'Shot From a Cannon' painted in the main lobby of the Delta St. John's.

After living away 'on the mainland' for 14 years, in 2009 Keli-Ann and her retired-military-turned-fellow-entrepreneur-and-art-muse husband, Brent "Besh" Beshara, moved back to her home province to be with their slightly large family -1 mom, 2 sisters, 2 nephews, 2 nieces, 30 aunts and uncles, and 47 first cousins! She fell madly in love with the island she'd taken for granted back in the day and from the minute she set foot on 'The Rock' became an avid promoter of the history, culture, tourism and beauty of Newfoundland and Labrador through her art, but even more so through their lifestyle.

Keli-Ann is an active philanthropist supporting causes close to her heart like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Roots Country Farm and island sustainability. Since 2006, she has been featured in many publications such as Home & Cabin, Beyond the City, Downhome Magazine, Dining & The Arts, Escarpment Magazine, On the Bay, and Oil & Gas Magazine.

Keli-Ann shares her stories and Newfoundland adventures on her Piece of Pye lifestyle blog. Through her humour, cooking, hiking, photography and artistry, she relays a truly unique perspective sparked by her quirky personality. Keli-Ann, in a nutshell, loves life, sharing thoughts, having a good chat and drinking cold beer. Her motto is if it's not fun, I don't want to be at it!