Modern Love essay from Victoria Rosner

I came across this lovely "Modern Love" essay by Victoria Rosner via Jezebel, in which she writes about how she allowed her terminally ill ex-husband, who'd abandoned her when their son was born, to reconnect with the toddler in the few months he had remaining. Obviously it's not an easy decision to make and Victoria Rosner was worried about the effect it would have on her son to get to know his father only to lose him again to his illness.

But Rosner does it, and the two, father and son, form a bond. And then he dies, but not before her ex-husband has said, "He is the most incredible child that has ever lived. Do you realize that?" It's clear she's given him a gift, and that her son, despite the pain of loss, has purely positive memories of his dad. Rosner doesn't dwell on her own resentments, but it's hard to believe that it's not a difficult period for a mother who's been abandoned and dealt with the day-to-day responsibilities of raising a baby alone. But as she says, "He walked away empty-handed, while I had Judah." ... She ends the essay with an exchange between her son and another small child who's distressed at the thought that Judah's father has died."       from Jezebel

From Rosners essay,

A few hours later he reported that when he told the children what had happened, one volunteered that her grandmother had died. Another said he had a fish that died, a very old fish. The class agreed that Swimmy had been an old fish, too. And Judah said, “My daddy died.”

Later, another child approached Judah and asked in a worried voice, “Your daddy died?”

Judah nodded.

“Does that mean he’s not coming back?”

Judah put his hand on the other child’s shoulder. “Yes, but it’s O.K.,” he said. “I’m alive. You’re alive. Want to play?”