Kids, Death, & Women's Rights

Yesterday one of my little ones at the school I work at had a parent die tragically in a motorcycle accident. The 9 year old boy, full of energy, always talking about family gatherings and video games, learned his father died before school started on a Monday morning.

Today, I spent the first hour at the school processing this with 3rd graders. Some of them wanted to talk about their loved one who died tragically. Some of them wanted to share about how they would help. Some of them didn't want to talk about it at all. One said he wanted to give the grief stricken boy a card that read, "I'm so sorry and we love you" with a lolipop taped to it. Once again my life's difficulties were abruptly put into perspective.

Also, yesterday, at The Homework Club, a 13 year old boy indicated that he wondered why women had never been president and solicited my opinion. This launched me into my not so well polished history lesson of how women have been oppressed for thousands of years and only recently have they been able to fight through those oppressive systems to be in positions of power. I went on to say that I thought we would have a woman president within my lifetime and maybe much sooner than one might think (Hillary Clinton?).

All of this made me think about the world Jack is headed into and the questions and issues Susie and I will be helping him prepare for...or prepare to not be prepared for.