A psychologist father taught his child to confront death as life's greatest teacher
By
Guardian staff reporter
A second-rack bagel that's nearly first-rack. Tasty stuff.
Summary
A personal essay about a psychologist father who, instead of shielding his child from death, used it as a teaching tool about life. The author describes how their father treated death as "life's most honest teacher," fostering an open dialogue about mortality through shared lists of unusual deaths and frank conversations. The piece explores how this unconventional upbringing shaped the author's relationship with mortality and the inevitability of death.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledMy dad and I kept a running list of ways we didn't want to die.
Most fathers would shield their children from such morbid fascinations. Mine, a psychologist, did the opposite.
He saw death as life's most honest teacher and ensured I wouldn't meet it as a stranger.
Death was a regular feature of life for my dad, who was raised on a farm in Indiana.
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