08/04/2025
While I Bur:ied My Baby, My Parents Partied with My Brother, Saying, āItās just a baby. His celebration matters more.ā I Mourned in SilenceāUntil They Realized How Deeply Iād Make Them Regret It. My brother Jason was the center of their universe. I was just the shadow trailing behind him. When I told my parents I was expecting Emily, their first reaction was to ask if Jason had secured his promotion. When Emily arrived, they visited the hospital for exactly forty-five minutesājust until my mother, Margaret, remembered she had a hair appointment. Meanwhile, my in-laws cried tears of joy and came by weekly during every precious moment of Emilyās short life. My own parents showed up twice. Everything fell apart on a Tuesday. The silence coming from the baby monitor was a sound Iāll never forget. The chill of my six-month-old daughterās skin, Michaelās frantic attempts at CPR, the paramedicsā solemn expressionsāall of it plays on a loop behind my eyes. I called my mom, my voice barely holding together. āEmily died, Mom.ā A pause. Then cold words: āOh, Abby. Thatās terrible.ā When I told her the funeral would be on Friday, her tone changed. āOh no,ā she said sharply, like she was talking logistics. āThatās the same day as Jasonās engagement party.ā My breath caught. āMom⦠itās Emilyās funeral. Your granddaughter.ā āI know that,ā she replied, her tone distant, almost irritated. āBut we canāt cancel on Jason now. Everythingās already planned.ā āHelp me understand,ā I pleaded, my voice cracking, hoping for some humanity to break through. She let out an annoyed sigh, like Iād just spilled something on her rug. āAbigail, think sensibly. Yes, itās sad. But Emily was only a baby. Youāll have more children. Jasonās engagementāitās a major milestone.ā I didnāt say goodbye. I simply let the phone slip from my hand, the conversation already emotionally over. Standing there alone, watching my daughterās tiny white casket disappear into the soil, I finally saw the truth. I wasnāt just laying Emily to restāI was laying to rest the illusion of the family I thought I had. Full story in the top c0mment šš