DEATH

One of my students (the one I referred to in the Death in a Bottle post) experienced the loss of his father yesterday. It's amazing to me how differently people deal with death. "M" as I will call him for the obvious reasons of confidentiality and such wanted to come to school today. As soon as I saw his mother accompanying him down the hallway this morning I knew instantly that something terrible had happened. I have to applaud this child for putting on a brave face and bearing the day with his classmates. Perhaps it hasn't fully settled in with him or it may just be that he has been able to reconcile with the loss in his own way. Dealing with a death from a child's perspective is extremely touchy but add to this the fact that this child is one with special needs. After long thought and quiet observation I can't help but wonder what thoughts and feelings must be going through his mind. I've not experienced the loss of a parent and truly fear the day that that comes. At some point during the day "M" approached me and started talking in such a sensible manner it was almost unbelievable to me. He said that his father was not suffering anymore and the fact that his father couldn't stop drinking had caused him to die. I had to fight to control the urge to cry and hug this child for his loss and his wisdom. I'm worried that when the reality sets in and surely it will that this child will positively go out of his mind.