Grief for lost childhood

The mourning of a childhood that was damaged, absent, or simply not sufficient — the safety not provided, the love not given, the development not supported — often arrives in midlife when the gap between what was needed and what was received becomes clear. It can be among the most difficult grieving precisely because it has no clear event, no recognized ritual, and because the longing is for something that cannot now be provided. This domain examines this form of grief with the tenderness it deserves.