Evelyn Braxton, the mother of singer Traci Braxton, expressed her thoughts on dealing with grief as she sat down for an interview on the Smitty & Dee Podcast. As she reflected on losing Traci, who died in 2022 at the age of 50 after privately battling cancer, Evelyn said she tried her best to prepare for the death of her daughter.
“You don’t know that pain until you experience it. However, I thank God for the years that God gave me with Traci and Traci with me,” the grieving mother said on the podcast. “I have no complaints, none. I would prefer that she would go and rest in the bosom of God than to suffer. I think sometimes, as parents, we want them around so we can hug them and see them, and we become selfish. Am I still grieving? Absolutely… because I carried her those nine months, but there’s a time you have to let go for their sake.”
While still dealing with her own pain, Evelyn offered some words to other parents who are facing grief.
“I think everyone has to grieve in their own way. I can’t tell you how to grieve,” she said. “You have to figure it out. Because my grieving may not touch you, and no one can tell you when to stop. It’s none of their business, and it’s not their right. You will figure it out.”
Evelyn, who has five daughters, also opened up about her parenting style and gave advice on how to love each child in a household uniquely.
“Each one has their own unique personalities,” she said. “We all are different and so we all have different needs. We have to treat them accordingly. Because if you try to throw everybody in one pile, you’re making a mess. They will come out as angry people.”
As Blavity reported, Tamar Braxton also opened up about losing Tracis in a 2022 interview. Tamar said she and her sisters share a locket shaped like a hummingbird, which is Traci’s favorite bird. She also said each one of them carry Traci’s ashes in the lockets.
Traci had five hummingbird tattoos on her back to represent her siblings, Tamar added.
