Financially, it's put a strain on us. You don't expect one of your kids to die before you, but it does happen. My advice is, you have to be prepared.

We have kids here at 8 a.m. in the morning sitting and waiting for it to begin at 10 a.m.. I can tell when they come in that they have a whole new attitude about learning.

We've been off to such slow starts, and we tried to make that a point of emphasis to our kids: we have to get off to quicker starts.

I went over and gave him a hug. He remembered meeting the kids.

It's terrible. You can't trust anyone anymore.

I think that's when he came into his own. He found out who he was, and he opened up more to us kids. He became not only our father, but our friend. Even the gifts he gave us were more heartfelt, more personal.