Grief Counseling - EPIC FAIL.

I'm pretty sure I'm not in the minority when I say that it's utterly thoughtless, tactless and inconsiderate when someone is grieving over the recent loss of a loved one and your way of extending condolences consists of telling them: "Don't be so sad about it, okay?"

Yes, it is inevitable to become tongue-tied when reaching out to someone else's loss, especially if you haven't experienced it yourself. But honestly, telling him or her not to be sad over the death of a parent? A sibling? A spouse? Which grief-counselling-alert-ASAP planet are you from? This person did not lose a soft toy or an iPod or a book, all of which can be replaced and ergo repair any emotional damage that might have occurred.

If you don't know what to say, don't say anything at all. It's really that simple.