Good Grief with Amanda Kloots

Raising Kids Through Grief with My 7 Year Old Son, Elvis Cordero

Good Grief with Amanda Kloots

Show Notes

This week, Amanda sits down with the most important guest to date: her seven-year-old son, Elvis.

Nick Cordero died in July 2020, when Elvis was 10 months old. In this episode, Amanda walks through how she's raised a child who never got to know his father - and how she's made sure Nick never left the house.

She talks about the day the three of them held hands in the hospital, the stuffed Nick that sat on the changing table and talked to Elvis, playing Nick's voice in the car so it was familiar, singing "Our House" every single night, "Boop" on the socks, the stories about Nick's gasoline-strong coffee, and the dinner they still have every year to sing Happy Birthday to Dada. She also talks about what it's cost her, with every happy moment carrying the weight of who isn't there to see it.

Then, we’re joined by Elvis himself. He shares the details of their Africa trip: the mango drinks, ice skating to "Beat It" in Dubai, driving the golf cart at Babylonstoren, recreating his dad's silly photos, and scattering some of Nick's ashes at his parents' honeymoon spot. He talks about the "Daddy" pillow in his room, the constellations he learned to find, and the day he prayed for a lion and immediately saw six.

If you're raising a child through a loss - or wondering whether a young kid can really understand death - this one is proof.

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