There s no doubt that the acute pain of child loss diminishes with time. The word ambush is exactly how grief works, though. In fact, there is never a total closure of grief from child loss. Just when we think the grief has gone completely away, there is a reminder a certain smell, a song that is playing on the radio, a child who looks just like ours. The grief comes back in full force and attacks us by surprise.
Time can be a very tricky ambush.
As we age, we often become more sentimental and our thoughts drift back to what could have been. Grief can hit us full force later in life. It is not uncommon for a woman in her 70 s to grieve the loss of an infant child. That s just how grief works. You mentioned your sister s death several times and your parents reaction to it.