| On two teens bound by grief, and the estimated two hundred thousand American children like them. In a nuanced and moving reported piece from Oklahoma, Eliza Griswold talks to kids who have lost parents to COVID—and who are confronting their grief without clear support networks, during a time when the pandemic remains politicized and divisive. One of those young people is Izzy, a sixteen-year-old from Tulsa whose father, Noe, died last fall: “The talks we had after 10 P.M. were magical,” she said. “We’d talk about everything—people, the nature of the universe, the Book of Genesis.” She went on, “You don’t know how alone you are until the only person who understands you isn’t here.” Izzy found it increasingly difficult to relate to her friends, and she noticed herself being short with them. “I lost my filter,” Izzy told me. “Once you have a parent die, no one knows how to talk to you. It’s awkward.” Sometimes other kids raised doubts about the reality of the coronavirus, but she ignored them. “Those conversations never end well,” she said. The Family Issue: An exploration of what family means today. We’re publishing new pieces each day this week. Tomorrow: the secret to good family photos, a dad’s bad opera seats, and a cherished cowbell. —Ian Crouch, newsletter editor Support The New Yorker’s award-winning journalism. Subscribe today » | 
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