You feel for the children. You wonder how this family will survive financially. The effects of the quake are devastating, lasting many years. Rebuilding seems like it will be a lifelong project. Taking stock, the family notices what things they will have to replace, what renovations and reordering in the basic structure of family life must be done.
Life is upside down, even when parents have the same job and children go to the same school.
There's been a death here. The whole family dies. We ask parents to be reasonable, to make decisions thinking only of their children's best interests. For many parents, this is just not possible in the early years. Some parents come to sessions feeling furious, abandoned and so hurt they cannot think clearly about what might be best for the children.