Widow Amanda Kloots knows she has a long road ahead of her when it comes to helping her young son navigate his grief over the death of his father, Broadway star Nick Cordero. Nick died in July 2020 when son Elvis was just 1. Now that Elvis is getting older, Amanda said she knows the process will get more complicated — but she believes her method for handling grief could help Elvis and many other children dealing with the same pain.
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Elvis has been grappling with the knowledge that his father is gone
Amanda opened up about her son's emotions during a candid new interview with People, admitting that it can be hard to talk about her late husband with her toddler. "There have been some times where he has gotten sad when we're talking about Nick and he says, 'But Dada died,'" Amanda shared.
The conversations can be painful for both of them
Sometimes, Elvis can get overcome with emotion when they talk about Nick, who died after a long and painful battle with COVID-19. "And then he'll get very, very sad, which is heartbreaking as a parent, obviously," she continued. "Because in a way, I haven't had yet to deal too much with Elvis' grief."
The 41-year-old mom knows she needs to be ready for what comes next
Elvis was so young that he doesn't have any memories of the day Nick died, but Amanda knows that as he gets older and realizes all he's lost he's going to have a range of emotions to deal with.
"It's coming, and that'll be a whole new layer for me and my grief and helping him get through that and understanding that," she explained. "So that's coming up for me. I know it's not probably too long away."
To help Elvis remember his dad, Amanda makes sure he's always part of what they're doing
"I'm always trying to incorporate Nick into Elvis' life," she continued. "Because he left this earth and Elvis was 1 year old so Elvis does not have memories of his dad."
Amanda is also using her new children's book, Tell Me Your Dreams — which debuted on April 11 — to keep his memory alive. "I'm constantly trying to tell Elvis about his father or what this book does, which is basically saying to Elvis, 'You're going to go to sleep and you don't have your dad on earth, but you have him in your dreams,'" she explained.
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Amanda thinks her book can help other kids deal with their own grief
"I think a lot about how parents have to talk to their kids about loss and death and how hard it is. I think this book is a great tool for parents to start introducing that idea to them," she said.
"Where you lost your grandparent, you get to see them in your dreams. You lost your sibling, see them in your dreams. You lost your parent, you get to see them in your dreams. They're not gone, they're just a part of your dreams."
We certainly hope the book helps Elvis and other kids like him who are dealing with the loss of a loved one.
