Summary: When We Are All Dealing With Pain When a whole family is coping with pain it is easy for the parent to deal with their own pain one of two ways.  Either you can become completely self-focused in an attempt to cope with your pain or you can become completely others focused and avoid your pain. We need to find a balance. As parents we need to balance working through a painful situation and helping our children work through it as well. If we are trying to deal with a very painful event as a family, such as a loss of a loved one or divorce, it may even be wise to seek counsel. Outside help can allow us as parents work through our emotions so we can be there for our kids in these difficult situations. We also have to be careful as parents to find the balance of modeling our faith through difficult situations in front of our children and confiding in them. We cannot place the burden of our pain on our children. We can however, set the example by praying together as a family for the painful situations. Remember, never be afraid to seek godly counsel when you are unsure how to deal with your pain or how to help your child cope with theirs.  Â
