Talking Sex With My Son…Not an easy discussion

My wife Lilly died when my son Phillip was two years old. It was a tragic accident that will always haunt me. Lilly and I were in Florida and she wanted to go with a bunch of her friends to Fort Lauderdale. Her friend Jenna had a beautiful boat and they were going to spend a couple of hours on the water. A professional athlete who was hopped up on booze and drugs drove his boat filled with his partying buddies into Jenna’s boat. He was driving at a crazy speed and the collision caused a massive explosion. My wife, Jenna and two other women were killed on impact. The athlete survived for a couple of hours before he died.

I was angry and sick when he was glorified by his adoring fans. It wasn’t till his autopsy was released and one of the guys on the party boat came forward to share what happened that the discussion turned to the dangers of substance abuse. The survivor said the athlete had been talking about checking into rehab that week, but he had never made it. My wife paid the price.

Phillip was raised with a ton of love from his Grandparents on both sides and his Aunts and Uncles. I made sure to always tell him stories about Lilly and he grew into a fine and outstanding person. Our bond couldn’t have been closer.

It was amazing to watch him grow, he had a maturity about him that was off the charts. Without…