‘I still resent my 15-year-old son for causing death of his sibling 9 years ago’- Nigerian mother
A mother has opened up about a devastating family tragedy, revealing that she still struggles to fully forgive her 15-year-old son after he accidentally caused the death of his two-month-old sibling nine years ago.
The incident occurred when the boy was just six years old. While playing, the child threw the infant off a bed, leading to fatal injuries.
Concealing the truth from family and public
Following the accident, the mother made the painful decision to hide the true circumstances of the infant’s passing from extended family and friends.
Fearing judgment and seeking to protect her young son from the lifelong stigma of the tragic mistake, she told people that the baby had passed away from natural causes.
“I could not bring myself to tell people what had really happened,” she shared, explaining that carrying the secret alone only intensified her private grief over the years.
The weight of unresolved grief and guilt
Now that her son has reached age 15, the mother admitted that the emotional scars remain deep. While she rationally understands that a six-year-old lacks the cognitive awareness to comprehend the fatal consequences of such actions, processing the emotional loss has proved far more complicated.
She confessed to experiencing ongoing guilt and self-doubt, frequently questioning whether her inability to completely move past the incident makes her a bad parent.
Family counsellors and child psychologists emphasise that complex grief and unintentional sibling loss require specialised psychological support, noting that unresolved trauma can create severe emotional strain within family dynamics if left unaddressed.
