Grieving adults are turning to a Muppet for comfort on social media. Is that a good thing?
CBC
Elmo is becoming something of an online therapist for adults who have fond memories of the fuzzy red Sesame Street Muppet from childhood.
Elmo's official X social media account shared a clip last week of a conversation on the children's program between the Muppet character and actor Andrew Garfield about grief, in which Garfield shares that he's been missing his mom, who died in 2019.
The post on X triggered an outpouring of more than 1,000 comments, with users saying they were brought to tears and sharing their own stories of loss and grief. This echoed an Elmo post from January, when the account asked people how they were doing and was flooded with replies.
Therapists say that while the grief video and some of the ensuing interactions were touching, seeing adults pour their hearts out to a Muppet's social media page is a concerning sign.
In the video, Garfield, who's currently starring in the movie We Live in Time, says it's "OK to miss somebody" because it means you really loved that person, adding that he's happy to have so many positive memories of his mother.
"Who knew I needed this?" one user shared in the comments on X, formerly Twitter. "It was just the anniversary of losing my dad a few days ago and man do I miss him."
"i haven't lost my parents but i'm 5 years into the grieving process of my significant other," another wrote. "I really appreciate this."
The official Sesame Street account chimed in with a link containing resources to help children deal with grief.
The overwhelming response was reminiscent of a January post in which Elmo innocently asked, "How is everybody doing?" and saw his comment section filled with people saying they were, in fact, not doing well at all.
"Every morning, I cannot wait to go back to sleep," one user wrote in response to the January post. "Every Monday, I cannot wait for Friday to come. Every single day and every single week for life."
Lindsey Thomson, a psychotherapist and director of national advocacy with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, said when she was growing up, Sesame Street provided a supportive, non-judgmental learning environment.
"I think for so many generations, Elmo has been this very approachable, friendly, compassionate character that just connects on such a deep level," she said.
But underneath that nostalgic comfort is the darker truth that people still don't feel they can open up to those who are close to them — or worry that if they do, they might be a burden to others, Thomson said.
"I think people might be latching on to that because potentially they don't have that type of support in their life currently."
