Even if you say you understand how they're feeling, they say that you can't, because you don't have children. OK, I'll never know how it feels to have your child die, be kidnapped, get really sick, etc, but I can understand that it must be hard on the parents

I hate when they say shit like this and act like they've got the elitist earmark on misery or something. Anyone who has lost someone they love knows how painful that is. Anyone who has had someone close to them get a chronic/terminal diagnosis understands how scary it can be. Anyone who is overwhelmed with a multitude of responsibilities knows how stressful and exhausting it is having so much expected of you. Shortly after my husband was killed, a family member apparently felt it was appropriate to tell me that while this was tragic, I should be grateful that I didn't lose a child like they did, like what I was going through was so much easier. Situations and circumstances are different, but emotions are pretty much universal.