It’s a fact of life that most of us will experience the loss of our parents. However, most of us also have the expectation that they will leave this world when we are parents ourselves, and they are well into their 70s and 80s. If you lose you parent when you’re very young – say around the age of 5 or younger – you really don’t have many lasting memories of your time with him or her and the way in which he or she influenced your life.
But once you’ve reached school age and start recalling passing years more clearly, your stockpile of memories grows, as does the importance a parent holds for you. Naturally, this makes it even harder once that parent is out of your life. Unfortunately, Nic Nelson didn’t have the opportunity of growing up for much more than a decade before his father was taken away from him. To make the pain even worse, he was taken unexpectedly in a tragic accident.
Part of Nic Nelson’s struggle stems from remembering his time with his dad, who he adored, and realizing that those memories are all he’ll ever have of him. Yet the memories are also sweet, because Nic is able to recall – and put to use – some of the life lessons his dad taught him. Although he is close to his mom, it’s easy to see (and understand) why Nic misses his dad tremendously and thinks about him often.
Losing a parent can also create a huge void in the remaining parent’s life, which children may feel inadequate to fill. It doesn’t, however, prevent them from wanting to try. Nic loves his mom – despite the fact that, at times, they do butt heads – and it is obvious he is protective of her, as well. They have survived a horrible tragedy and piecing their lives back together has drawn them closer.
But it’s still a challenge for Nic, as it would be for any 10-year-old boy, to face the trials he’s presented with in his new hometown without the benefit of a dad as his wingman, so to speak, or the person who has his back when the going gets tough.
Naturally, Nic must rely on and turn to his mom in good times and bad now that his dad is gone. However, as they settle into their new life in New Bonn, Nic is fortunate enough to find an extended family of sorts that provides, if not a substitute for his dad, support, friendship and new life lessons to get him through many scary, challenging and dangerous situations.