---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Did your parents die of the flu?’ ‘Yeah…"
description: "\"“Did your parents die of the flu?’ ‘Yeah, I don’t really know how long ago that was now though. It’s hard to keep counting the days.’ ‘You’re right abo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/stephen-birch-279617_long-ago_did-your-parents-die-of-the-flu-yeah-i-d_259487.jpg"
---

#  Did your parents die of the flu?’ ‘Yeah, I don’t really…

![“Did your parents die of the flu?’ ‘Yeah, I don’t really know how long ago that was now though. It’s hard to keep counting the days.’ ‘You’re right about that,’ Nick agreed. ‘But it’s been about two months since the pandemic.’ ‘Two” quote by Stephen Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/stephen-birch-279617_long-ago_did-your-parents-die-of-the-flu-yeah-i-d_259487.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/stephen-birch-279617_long-ago_did-your-parents-die-of-the-flu-yeah-i-d_259487.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/stephen-birch-279617_long-ago_did-your-parents-die-of-the-flu-yeah-i-d_259487.jpg)

> ““Did your parents die of the flu?’ ‘Yeah, I don’t really know how long ago that was now though. It’s hard to keep counting the days.’ ‘You’re right about that,’ Nick agreed. ‘But it’s been about two months since the pandemic.’ ‘Two””

Stephen Birch

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A conversation about parents' death during a pandemic, highlighting grief and the difficulty of counting days.

**In simple terms:** Grief over parents' death in pandemic.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge and process loss.

Themes

grief pandemic family mortality time

Mood

somber empathetic

Type

Long ago:1 Pandemic:1 Parenting:0 Two months:0 Did Parents:0 Months Pandemic:0 Parents Die:0 Flu Yeah:0

When to use this quote

- counseling
- memorial services
- personal journaling

Key Concepts

psychology of loss public health crisis

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you cope with ongoing loss?
- What rituals help honor the deceased?

A Different Perspective

Focus on death may intensify sorrow.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Pandemic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pandemic/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

## Related quotes

> [Getting a TV in my bedroom was something that I decided to do five months into the pandemic because I was finally, like, You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bowen-yang/getting-a-tv-in-my-bedroom-was-something-that-i-decided-to-do-five/)

[Bowen Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bowen-yang/)

> [“and that's the thing when your parents die, you feel like instead of going into every fight with backup, you are going into every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/and-that-s-the-thing-when-your-parents-die-you-feel-like-instead-of/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [But she wasn’t around, and that’s the thing when your parents die, you feel like instead of going in to every fight with backup,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/but-she-wasn-t-around-and-that-s-the-thing-when-your-parents-die-you/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Maybe we don’t really grow up until our parents die, she thought. Maybe her infant memory was forever looking to Zod and Pari to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donia-bijan/maybe-we-don-t-really-grow-up-until-our-parents-die-she-thought-maybe/)

[Donia Bijan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donia-bijan/)

> [The only person with you all your life is you. Your parents die. Things inside you die — illusions, gushes of personality. Only you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/the-only-person-with-you-all-your-life-is-you-your-parents-die-things/)

[Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/)

> [I have a son, who is a... not an ordinary form of schizophrenia, but clearly, cannot take care of himself. And the great fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-watson/i-have-a-son-who-is-a-not-an-ordinary-form-of-schizophrenia-but/)

[James D. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-watson/)

> [Father died last year. I don't subscribe to the theory by which we only become truly adult when our parents die; we never become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/father-died-last-year-i-don-t-subscribe-to-the-theory-by-which-we/)

[Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/)

> [“It was not their first choice, and they did not know if they would ever feel at home there, but they could afford, finally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-e-bender/it-was-not-their-first-choice-and-they-did-not-know-if-they-would/)

Karen E. Bender

> [...she knew in her heart that nature has a preference for a particular order: parents die, then children die. But it was a harsh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-frazier/she-knew-in-her-heart-that-nature-has-a-preference-for-a-particular/)

[Charles Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-frazier/)

> [“In the famine children saw their parents die and then went to live with the people on the other side. In their minds they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/in-the-famine-children-saw-their-parents-die-and-then-went-to-live/)

[Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/)

> [“When your parents die, Alessandro, you feel that you have betrayed them." "Why?" Luciana asked. "Because you come to love your children more. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/when-your-parents-die-alessandro-you-feel-that-you-have-betrayed-them/)

[Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/)

> [When parents die, all of the partings of the past are reevoked with the realization that this time they will not return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-catherine-bateson/when-parents-die-all-of-the-partings-of-the-past-are-reevoked-with/)

[Mary Catherine Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-catherine-bateson/)

> [One reason you are stricken when your parents die is that the audience you've been aiming at all your life - shocking it, pleasing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/one-reason-you-are-stricken-when-your-parents-die-is-that-the/)

[Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/)

> [I suppose if your parents die in their 50s and you are approaching 50, you see that you are definitely not in the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-mack/i-suppose-if-your-parents-die-in-their-50s-and-you-are-approaching-50/)

[Lee Mack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-mack/)

> [I can't imagine my loved ones being in this world without anybody to turn to, without any support or encouragement, guidance in any shape,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-bailey/i-can-t-imagine-my-loved-ones-being-in-this-world-without-anybody-to/)

[Philip Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-bailey/)

## More Long ago quotes

> [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/)

[Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/)

> [A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/a-wholesome-regard-for-the-memory-of-the-great-men-of-long-ago-is-the/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [“Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/not-very-long-ago-i-was-driving-with-my-husband-on-the-back-roads-of/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

> [There must be a technique for meeting pain. There must be a technique of endurance based on the power of the soul to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stannard-baker/there-must-be-a-technique-for-meeting-pain-there-must-be-a-technique/)

[Ray Stannard Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stannard-baker/)

> [Women will forgive anything. Otherwise, the race would have died out long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/women-will-forgive-anything-otherwise-the-race-would-have-died-out/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Up until 1986, the top marginal rate, the top statutory rate was 50 percent. Now it's 35 percent. And all the pressure is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/up-until-1986-the-top-marginal-rate-the-top-statutory-rate-was-50/)

[Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/)

> [“We ought to live each day as though it were our last day here below. But if I did, alas, I know it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/we-ought-to-live-each-day-as-though-it-were-our-last-day-here-below/)

[Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/)

> [I was landscaping not too long ago, so I'm extremely grateful for the people supporting me in wrestling. Not that landscaping is terrible, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-riddle/i-was-landscaping-not-too-long-ago-so-i-m-extremely-grateful-for-the/)

[Matt Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-riddle/)

> [“Most people would probably call me a ghost. I am, after all, dead. But I don't think of myself that way. It wasn't so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/most-people-would-probably-call-me-a-ghost-i-am-after-all-dead-but-i/)

[Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/)

> [“Waiting for Vengeance' Well, what is this? What am I coming to? And beyond that, what am I gonna do? Now there’s blankness Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/waiting-for-vengeance-well-what-is-this-what-am-i-coming-to-and/)

[Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/)

> [“We were putting into these gomers our fear of death, but who knew if they feared death? Perhaps they welcomed death like a dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-shem/we-were-putting-into-these-gomers-our-fear-of-death-but-who-knew-if/)

[Samuel Shem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-shem/)

> [“...The devil had long ago taken a shine to Tert Card, filled him like a cream horn with itch and irritation. His middle name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-annie-proulx-author/the-devil-had-long-ago-taken-a-shine-to-tert-card-filled-him-like-a/)

E. Annie Proulx (Author

> [So here is my story, may it bring Some smiles and a tear or so, It happened once upon a time, Far away, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jacques/so-here-is-my-story-may-it-bring-some-smiles-and-a-tear-or-so-it/)

[Brian Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jacques/)

> [“In the middle of the cemetery is a grassy plane, strangely vacant. There are no granite tombs or crumbling concrete, just a sun-washed treeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-caldwell-crosby/in-the-middle-of-the-cemetery-is-a-grassy-plane-strangely-vacant/)

Molly Caldwell Crosby

> [He had long ago learned that society imposes insults that must be borne, comforted by the knowledge that in this world there comes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/he-had-long-ago-learned-that-society-imposes-insults-that-must-be/)

[Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/)

[Browse all 2,059 Long ago quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Did your parents die of the flu?’ ‘Yeah, I don’t really know how long ago that was now though. It’s hard to keep counting the days.’ ‘You’re right about that,’ Nick agreed. ‘But it’s been about two months since the pandemic.’ ‘Two”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen Birch"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-birch/did-your-parents-die-of-the-flu-yeah-i-don-t-really-know-how-long-ago/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Long ago"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-birch/did-your-parents-die-of-the-flu-yeah-i-don-t-really-know-how-long-ago/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/stephen-birch-279617_long-ago_did-your-parents-die-of-the-flu-yeah-i-d_259487.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/stephen-birch-279617_long-ago_did-your-parents-die-of-the-flu-yeah-i-d_259487.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46f/stephen-birch-279617_long-ago_did-your-parents-die-of-the-flu-yeah-i-d_259487.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Did your parents die of the flu?’ ‘Yeah, I don’t really know how long ago that was now though. It’s hard to…” — Stephen Birch",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Stephen Birch",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-birch/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Did your parents die of the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-birch/did-your-parents-die-of-the-flu-yeah-i-don-t-really-know-how-long-ago/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-birch/did-your-parents-die-of-the-flu-yeah-i-don-t-really-know-how-long-ago/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
