You can wallow in grief after a parent dies and feel alone, or you can try to pull together with others who are going through the same thing.

I’m so impressed with Chicago 14-year-old Genevieve Liu, who started SLAP’D (Surviving Life After a Parent Dies), a online resource for kids. On the site, Genevieve writes: “This is not ‘my’ site. It’s ours. Together, we can help each other,by sharing experiences, sorrows, and most importantly, solutions. It’s not a cure-all – there’ll be bad days and sad days for all of us – but perhaps we can gain some strength from each other and from adults who have gone through this and survived…survived well.”

Here’s a Chicago Tribune story about the site.

She hits upon the important role that community plays in the grief process. I hope that many kids will take advantage of this site. I think especially of two Minnesota teenagers who just lost their dad, a Mendota Heights police officer, on Wednesday who was shot and killed during a traffic stop.

I wish Genevieve the best and hope SLAP’D really takes off.