A boy and his dog.

As the kids come to some understanding of their dad's illness, each one has asked for a day off school. They are under immense pressure and it is hard for their friends to comprehend that a dad might not get better. So the occasional "mental health" day seems to be helping. The only rule is that they use part of the day to either visit a counselor or devise a strategy to cope with the pressures they are experiencing.
So Mr A visited the counselor, took the dog for a combined river walk and McDonald's picnic lunch, accompanied me to morning coffee with friends and got his hair cut, but only slightly. He seems a lot more settled now.
They are great kids.