Tea and Sweatpants...

This happened just when we returned from Christmas Vacation. All of my students were very squirmy, naturally, because they were dying to share about their time apart. So, I started our day with some journaling. I had one child, "sadness" who just got up out of his seat and starting roaming the room and ho-humming as Eeyore does. I got him to settle down for a bit and to talk to me...
Me: "what's going on?"
Him: "I don't want to write in my stupid journal"
Me: " do you want to tell me why?"
Him: "NO"
Me: "did something bad happen to you?"
Him: "NO"
Me: I just sat there with him for a minute...knowing that this 9 year old would probably tell me soon
Him: "My daddy killed him"
Me: "what are you talking about?"
Him: "My dad killed a man on Christmas Eve and now he is in jail"
Me: "are you alright?"
Him: "yeah"
Me: "well, it's alright to be upset about it ....

And the conversation continued with me faking as if I am a counselor. I don't have a freaking clue what to do or say to these kids... I did find out later, from the secretary, that his father did shoot a man at a bar on Christmas Eve night. His dad is now on trial for murder.