My eldest

My eldest son is nine years old. He is angry about his father's death. Last night as we talked before he went to bed, he shared with me that it is as though a timer has gone off in his head. As soon as his dad died, he stopped being who he was. He no longer feels like himself. He doesn't like the things he used to like, nor does he want to do the things he used to like to do. He hates school. He hates church. He hates going to the park. He hates to read. (He used to LOVE to read. He once told me his biggest fear was running out of books to read.) He said he finds everything boring. He told me that he no loger likes his sister, brother or me. He cried as he told me he feels like a horrible person.

I struggle to know what to say to my son as he shares his feelings with me. I told him that he wasn't a horrible person, but that he was a hurting person. Hurting people don't want to be around other people or do things that take their hurt away. We love him even if he doesn't feel like he loves us.

I hate that I don't have a solution for him. I wish I could quickly make it all better.