Hello!

I am a priest serving three small parishes in south-central Nebraska. I was given another parish in our diocesan series of transfers on Monday, June 17.

I have a widow in her mid-50’s in my current parish. Her husband died suddenly in February 2012 of an aneurysm in his brain. They have two adopted children, a 17-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter.

Your book, Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, seems to be a good fit to give to this woman. She is a reader, and I know she would read it if I gave it to her. I don’t want it to cause her to feel hopeless at having lost her husband in the midst of the adolescent parenting portion of her life. Her daughter is strong-willed and sometimes gives her mother fits. But at the end of the day, she is very sweet. I thought the book, although directed toward dads, might help this widow to see strategies of things to watch for as her daughter grows up.

The son presents a whole unique set of concerns, including the presence of some autistic traits, although never diagnosed as such.

Can you be of help to me? Specifically, do you think…