The new school year has so taken hold, it's already hard to believe that we haven't been back two weeks yet.

Although the laughter circulating through the halls belies it, our community had a lot of issues outside the St. Paul's "bubble" to discuss with our children. And to the extent that we didn't talk to the children in great depth about any of it, we knew there was awareness.

One was the death by suicide of Robin Williams. Even just writing that previous sentence makes me wonder about the emotional weight and anxiety some felt in having to process the news of the talented, popular, iconic actor and comedian. Sure, many parents probably didn't tell their very young children. But for the students who heard about it on their own, and brought it up to their parents or in front of the parents, it probably was the starting point for an important conversation.

How do you bring up suicide? Or clinical depression? For the students who know Williams from being in the movie "A Night in the Museum" how do you help address the shock and sadness? I don't have any answers but I know that life outside the bubble requires parents to be assaulted with questions they couldn't have anticipated.

The unrest in Ferguson, Missouri has truly polarized our country. But what is the starting point for discussion for any children that hear about it? The shooting of Michael Brown? Historic race relations? Police brutality issues? Personal responsibility of individual young people? There are many places to start and no place to finish. Each parent will be in a different place if this comes up with their child, with each family deciding which issues require immediate addressing.

Even the ice bucket challenge is something that requires great context and care to discuss with children. More so because it seems "fun", yet without the proper context, it's easy for children to fail to realize there is a serious reason behind the challenge to raise money for a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurogenerative disease. What is that disease? How many die from it? How does it impact quality of life? Why give money to this disease and not to others? These are complex questions with no easy answers.

There has never been a simple, easy way to have a tough conversation with our children. Whether it's handling the death of a favorite relative or a beloved pet. Or how to break the news of a divorce. Or explaining a move to another city.

When world events come at us fast and furious, it's probably very tough to decide what to discuss and how. But as I've said before, St. Paul's students may go to school in a bit of a bubble but the bubble is transparent and looks out on the world. The conversation has to start somewhere. And the most important thing to do is to start a conversation today.