A friend called this morning to let me know that his father had taken his own life, two days earlier. It was absolutely unexpected, and my friend is shattered. I am so glad he has a tightly-woven net of family and friends, and that they can all take turns catching each during this horrible time.
He called during our frantic before-school shuffle, so Iz got to witness my reaction (more stoic than it would have been had she not been there, but still dramatic). I told her only that our friend's father had died quite suddenly, and that the whole family was in shock. I did not give her any additional details. I normally try to be honest with my kids, but I think that death is terrible enough without exposing them to suicide's additional layer of inexplicable sorrow. In this case, I am going to keep them under my wing.
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