Caroline Roodhouse
@daddyblackbird.bsky.social
Widow | Best-Selling Author | Speaker on loss by suicide | Communicator | Mentor | Mum | Mental Health | UK
Read: https://daddyblackbird.com/book/ 💛
Read: https://daddyblackbird.com/book/ 💛
Pinned
“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all.” | Emily Dickinson
Loss by suicide is trauma like no other.
“Amor Fati” is about facing the unbearable, not accepting the act that caused the pain, but choosing to live fully with what remains.
Resilience isn’t quiet; it’s a fierce willingness to keep going 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #AmorFati 🐦⬛
“Amor Fati” is about facing the unbearable, not accepting the act that caused the pain, but choosing to live fully with what remains.
Resilience isn’t quiet; it’s a fierce willingness to keep going 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #AmorFati 🐦⬛
November 11, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Loss by suicide is trauma like no other.
“Amor Fati” is about facing the unbearable, not accepting the act that caused the pain, but choosing to live fully with what remains.
Resilience isn’t quiet; it’s a fierce willingness to keep going 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #AmorFati 🐦⬛
“Amor Fati” is about facing the unbearable, not accepting the act that caused the pain, but choosing to live fully with what remains.
Resilience isn’t quiet; it’s a fierce willingness to keep going 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #AmorFati 🐦⬛
When Steve died by suicide, I wasn’t just a widow grieving my husband, I was suddenly parenting double.
Double the emotions 🤯
Double the logistics 🤯
Double the decisions 🤯
And no one to share the load, or the fear, or the responsibility, or the 4:30am wake-ups..
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss
Double the emotions 🤯
Double the logistics 🤯
Double the decisions 🤯
And no one to share the load, or the fear, or the responsibility, or the 4:30am wake-ups..
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss
Double parenting dilemmas
Daddy Blackbird #29
daddyblackbird.substack.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:23 PM
When Steve died by suicide, I wasn’t just a widow grieving my husband, I was suddenly parenting double.
Double the emotions 🤯
Double the logistics 🤯
Double the decisions 🤯
And no one to share the load, or the fear, or the responsibility, or the 4:30am wake-ups..
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss
Double the emotions 🤯
Double the logistics 🤯
Double the decisions 🤯
And no one to share the load, or the fear, or the responsibility, or the 4:30am wake-ups..
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss
Simon Sinek’s “get in the mud” idea is simple but powerful: real empathy means being present with someone in their struggles, not trying to fix them.
Sitting in the hard, messy moments together can be more healing than any advice.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief #Support #Kindness 🐦⬛
Sitting in the hard, messy moments together can be more healing than any advice.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief #Support #Kindness 🐦⬛
November 9, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Simon Sinek’s “get in the mud” idea is simple but powerful: real empathy means being present with someone in their struggles, not trying to fix them.
Sitting in the hard, messy moments together can be more healing than any advice.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief #Support #Kindness 🐦⬛
Sitting in the hard, messy moments together can be more healing than any advice.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief #Support #Kindness 🐦⬛
When Steve died by suicide, I wasn’t just a widow grieving my husband, I was suddenly parenting double.
Double the emotions 🤯
Double the logistics 🤯
Double the decisions 🤯
And no one to share the load, or the fear, or the responsibility, or the 4:30am wake-ups...
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss
Double the emotions 🤯
Double the logistics 🤯
Double the decisions 🤯
And no one to share the load, or the fear, or the responsibility, or the 4:30am wake-ups...
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss
Double parenting dilemmas
Daddy Blackbird #29
daddyblackbird.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 8:03 AM
When Steve died by suicide, I wasn’t just a widow grieving my husband, I was suddenly parenting double.
Double the emotions 🤯
Double the logistics 🤯
Double the decisions 🤯
And no one to share the load, or the fear, or the responsibility, or the 4:30am wake-ups...
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss
Double the emotions 🤯
Double the logistics 🤯
Double the decisions 🤯
And no one to share the load, or the fear, or the responsibility, or the 4:30am wake-ups...
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss
November 6, 2025 at 7:30 PM
November 6, 2025 at 8:15 AM
November 5, 2025 at 8:34 PM
“When we share our stories, it opens up our hearts for other people to share their stories. And it gives us the sense that we are not alone on this journey.” Janine Shepherd 📚❤️📣
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicidePrevention #ShareYourStory #BookSky #Help #Hope 💛🐦⬛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicidePrevention #ShareYourStory #BookSky #Help #Hope 💛🐦⬛
November 2, 2025 at 4:37 PM
“When we share our stories, it opens up our hearts for other people to share their stories. And it gives us the sense that we are not alone on this journey.” Janine Shepherd 📚❤️📣
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicidePrevention #ShareYourStory #BookSky #Help #Hope 💛🐦⬛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicidePrevention #ShareYourStory #BookSky #Help #Hope 💛🐦⬛
Symbols are not magic, but they are meaning - and sometimes, meaning is enough to help us keep moving.
After Steve’s suicide, the blackbird became a symbol for me and my children. It carried meaning, and that meaning led to hope 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #BookSky #Meaning #Loss #Hope #SuicidePrevention
After Steve’s suicide, the blackbird became a symbol for me and my children. It carried meaning, and that meaning led to hope 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #BookSky #Meaning #Loss #Hope #SuicidePrevention
November 2, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Symbols are not magic, but they are meaning - and sometimes, meaning is enough to help us keep moving.
After Steve’s suicide, the blackbird became a symbol for me and my children. It carried meaning, and that meaning led to hope 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #BookSky #Meaning #Loss #Hope #SuicidePrevention
After Steve’s suicide, the blackbird became a symbol for me and my children. It carried meaning, and that meaning led to hope 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #BookSky #Meaning #Loss #Hope #SuicidePrevention
Suicide grief can be very different because it often involves intense feelings of guilt, shame, and unanswered questions.
It can also carry stigma, making it difficult to find the right support.
Survivors must learn to live in this harsh landscape.
#DaddyBlackbird #Grief #ComplexGrief
It can also carry stigma, making it difficult to find the right support.
Survivors must learn to live in this harsh landscape.
#DaddyBlackbird #Grief #ComplexGrief
November 1, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Suicide grief can be very different because it often involves intense feelings of guilt, shame, and unanswered questions.
It can also carry stigma, making it difficult to find the right support.
Survivors must learn to live in this harsh landscape.
#DaddyBlackbird #Grief #ComplexGrief
It can also carry stigma, making it difficult to find the right support.
Survivors must learn to live in this harsh landscape.
#DaddyBlackbird #Grief #ComplexGrief
Halloween can be a welcome distraction 🎃
Christmas brings warmth and ritual 🎄
But Father’s Day? Just survival 💔
My latest #DaddyBlackbird piece explores the ache, the marketing cruelties, and the questions no parent should face.
🖤 Father’s Day Can F!&k Off
#Grief #SuicideLoss #SuicidePostvention
Christmas brings warmth and ritual 🎄
But Father’s Day? Just survival 💔
My latest #DaddyBlackbird piece explores the ache, the marketing cruelties, and the questions no parent should face.
🖤 Father’s Day Can F!&k Off
#Grief #SuicideLoss #SuicidePostvention
Father’s Day Can F!@k Off
Daddy Blackbird #28
shorturl.at
November 1, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Halloween can be a welcome distraction 🎃
Christmas brings warmth and ritual 🎄
But Father’s Day? Just survival 💔
My latest #DaddyBlackbird piece explores the ache, the marketing cruelties, and the questions no parent should face.
🖤 Father’s Day Can F!&k Off
#Grief #SuicideLoss #SuicidePostvention
Christmas brings warmth and ritual 🎄
But Father’s Day? Just survival 💔
My latest #DaddyBlackbird piece explores the ache, the marketing cruelties, and the questions no parent should face.
🖤 Father’s Day Can F!&k Off
#Grief #SuicideLoss #SuicidePostvention
“Hope. It’s like a drop of honey, a field of tulips blooming in the springtime. It’s a fresh rain, a whispered promise, a cloudless sky, the perfect punctuation mark at the end of a sentence. And it’s the only thing in the world keeping me afloat.” | Tahereh Mafi
#DaddyBlackbird #BookSky #Hope 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #BookSky #Hope 💛
October 26, 2025 at 6:20 PM
“Hope. It’s like a drop of honey, a field of tulips blooming in the springtime. It’s a fresh rain, a whispered promise, a cloudless sky, the perfect punctuation mark at the end of a sentence. And it’s the only thing in the world keeping me afloat.” | Tahereh Mafi
#DaddyBlackbird #BookSky #Hope 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #BookSky #Hope 💛
This week’s #DaddyBlackbird article is about the fragile quiet after the storm has passed: escaping the chaotic, controlling relationship and returning to the raw grief of #suicideloss.
Starting again is hard; it’s about choosing what to carry, and what to let wash away...
#MentalHealth #Grief
Starting again is hard; it’s about choosing what to carry, and what to let wash away...
#MentalHealth #Grief
Drawing a line in the sand
Daddy Blackbird #27
shorturl.at
October 26, 2025 at 2:57 PM
This week’s #DaddyBlackbird article is about the fragile quiet after the storm has passed: escaping the chaotic, controlling relationship and returning to the raw grief of #suicideloss.
Starting again is hard; it’s about choosing what to carry, and what to let wash away...
#MentalHealth #Grief
Starting again is hard; it’s about choosing what to carry, and what to let wash away...
#MentalHealth #Grief
Five things Steve would love this week:
🎃 Pumpkin carving with the girls
👻 Trick or treating
🌤 Blue skies and winter sun
🚴 Crunching over leaves on his mountain bike
🧣 Putting on a scarf & leaving it there til March
Reminders of another season without him 💔
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss
🎃 Pumpkin carving with the girls
👻 Trick or treating
🌤 Blue skies and winter sun
🚴 Crunching over leaves on his mountain bike
🧣 Putting on a scarf & leaving it there til March
Reminders of another season without him 💔
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss
October 26, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Five things Steve would love this week:
🎃 Pumpkin carving with the girls
👻 Trick or treating
🌤 Blue skies and winter sun
🚴 Crunching over leaves on his mountain bike
🧣 Putting on a scarf & leaving it there til March
Reminders of another season without him 💔
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss
🎃 Pumpkin carving with the girls
👻 Trick or treating
🌤 Blue skies and winter sun
🚴 Crunching over leaves on his mountain bike
🧣 Putting on a scarf & leaving it there til March
Reminders of another season without him 💔
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss
MYTH: “If I ask them about suicide, it might put the idea in their head.”
FACT: There’s no evidence that asking someone if they’re thinking about suicide makes them more likely to act on it. In fact, it can reduce distress and help someone feel less alone.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness
FACT: There’s no evidence that asking someone if they’re thinking about suicide makes them more likely to act on it. In fact, it can reduce distress and help someone feel less alone.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness
October 25, 2025 at 8:01 AM
MYTH: “If I ask them about suicide, it might put the idea in their head.”
FACT: There’s no evidence that asking someone if they’re thinking about suicide makes them more likely to act on it. In fact, it can reduce distress and help someone feel less alone.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness
FACT: There’s no evidence that asking someone if they’re thinking about suicide makes them more likely to act on it. In fact, it can reduce distress and help someone feel less alone.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness
After a storm comes that fragile quiet — unsettling but welcome.
This week’s piece is about that space: escaping chaos, leaving control behind, and facing the raw grief of suicide loss.
Starting again is hard; it’s about choosing what to carry, and what to let wash away.
#DaddyBlackbird #Grief
This week’s piece is about that space: escaping chaos, leaving control behind, and facing the raw grief of suicide loss.
Starting again is hard; it’s about choosing what to carry, and what to let wash away.
#DaddyBlackbird #Grief
Drawing a line in the sand
Daddy Blackbird #27
shorturl.at
October 25, 2025 at 7:08 AM
After a storm comes that fragile quiet — unsettling but welcome.
This week’s piece is about that space: escaping chaos, leaving control behind, and facing the raw grief of suicide loss.
Starting again is hard; it’s about choosing what to carry, and what to let wash away.
#DaddyBlackbird #Grief
This week’s piece is about that space: escaping chaos, leaving control behind, and facing the raw grief of suicide loss.
Starting again is hard; it’s about choosing what to carry, and what to let wash away.
#DaddyBlackbird #Grief
It’s ok if today didn’t go quite the way you planned it 💛
The sun rises and we try again ☀️
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealth #Hope
The sun rises and we try again ☀️
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealth #Hope
October 24, 2025 at 6:04 PM
It’s ok if today didn’t go quite the way you planned it 💛
The sun rises and we try again ☀️
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealth #Hope
The sun rises and we try again ☀️
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealth #Hope
Asking questions like ‘Are you feeling suicidal?’ are the start of a conversation that can save a life.
People don’t take their own lives because they’ve been asked these questions– they take them because no-one asked, and had the chance to hear the pain in their response 💔
#DaddyBlackbird #Hope
People don’t take their own lives because they’ve been asked these questions– they take them because no-one asked, and had the chance to hear the pain in their response 💔
#DaddyBlackbird #Hope
October 23, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Asking questions like ‘Are you feeling suicidal?’ are the start of a conversation that can save a life.
People don’t take their own lives because they’ve been asked these questions– they take them because no-one asked, and had the chance to hear the pain in their response 💔
#DaddyBlackbird #Hope
People don’t take their own lives because they’ve been asked these questions– they take them because no-one asked, and had the chance to hear the pain in their response 💔
#DaddyBlackbird #Hope
You carry wreckage and wildflowers in the same hands.
That’s not weakness.
That is hope 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealth #Trauma #Healing #Hope
That’s not weakness.
That is hope 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealth #Trauma #Healing #Hope
October 23, 2025 at 6:28 AM
You carry wreckage and wildflowers in the same hands.
That’s not weakness.
That is hope 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealth #Trauma #Healing #Hope
That’s not weakness.
That is hope 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealth #Trauma #Healing #Hope
Days like today remind me why I do this work 💛
People want to talk about suicide, they just need a safe space.
Curiosity, listening, and real stories open doors to empathy.
Postvention and prevention matter.
Every conversation helps switch the story, step by step.
#DaddyBlackbird #Hope 🐦⬛
People want to talk about suicide, they just need a safe space.
Curiosity, listening, and real stories open doors to empathy.
Postvention and prevention matter.
Every conversation helps switch the story, step by step.
#DaddyBlackbird #Hope 🐦⬛
October 22, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Days like today remind me why I do this work 💛
People want to talk about suicide, they just need a safe space.
Curiosity, listening, and real stories open doors to empathy.
Postvention and prevention matter.
Every conversation helps switch the story, step by step.
#DaddyBlackbird #Hope 🐦⬛
People want to talk about suicide, they just need a safe space.
Curiosity, listening, and real stories open doors to empathy.
Postvention and prevention matter.
Every conversation helps switch the story, step by step.
#DaddyBlackbird #Hope 🐦⬛
Never be afraid to speak out about the challenges you face.
The tough days are normal, the difficult times are real, and your voice needs to be heard 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #SuicidePrevention #Hope
The tough days are normal, the difficult times are real, and your voice needs to be heard 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #SuicidePrevention #Hope
October 22, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Never be afraid to speak out about the challenges you face.
The tough days are normal, the difficult times are real, and your voice needs to be heard 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #SuicidePrevention #Hope
The tough days are normal, the difficult times are real, and your voice needs to be heard 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #SuicidePrevention #Hope
Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK.
Opening up saves lives.
Let’s break the silence together. 🗣️
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #ItsOkayToTalk #MenNeedSupportToo #EndTheStigma
Opening up saves lives.
Let’s break the silence together. 🗣️
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #ItsOkayToTalk #MenNeedSupportToo #EndTheStigma
October 21, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK.
Opening up saves lives.
Let’s break the silence together. 🗣️
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #ItsOkayToTalk #MenNeedSupportToo #EndTheStigma
Opening up saves lives.
Let’s break the silence together. 🗣️
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealthMatters #ItsOkayToTalk #MenNeedSupportToo #EndTheStigma
This is the truth behind many suicidal thoughts.
Listen with compassion. Respond with care.
People in pain don’t need judgment, and they don’t need solutions - they need connection.
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealthMatters #YouAreNotAlone #SuicidePrevention
Listen with compassion. Respond with care.
People in pain don’t need judgment, and they don’t need solutions - they need connection.
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealthMatters #YouAreNotAlone #SuicidePrevention
October 21, 2025 at 5:59 AM
This is the truth behind many suicidal thoughts.
Listen with compassion. Respond with care.
People in pain don’t need judgment, and they don’t need solutions - they need connection.
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealthMatters #YouAreNotAlone #SuicidePrevention
Listen with compassion. Respond with care.
People in pain don’t need judgment, and they don’t need solutions - they need connection.
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealthMatters #YouAreNotAlone #SuicidePrevention
In conversations about mental health suicide or distress, our instinct is often to help by offering solutions.
But real connection starts when we PAUSE - when we make space to listen, not fix 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #SuicideAwareness #Listening #Empathy #Compassion #Kindness
But real connection starts when we PAUSE - when we make space to listen, not fix 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #SuicideAwareness #Listening #Empathy #Compassion #Kindness
October 20, 2025 at 1:44 PM
In conversations about mental health suicide or distress, our instinct is often to help by offering solutions.
But real connection starts when we PAUSE - when we make space to listen, not fix 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #SuicideAwareness #Listening #Empathy #Compassion #Kindness
But real connection starts when we PAUSE - when we make space to listen, not fix 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #SuicideAwareness #Listening #Empathy #Compassion #Kindness
Mental health struggles can’t always be seen — but they’re real.
A little kindness goes a long way 🧠💬
#DaddyBlackbird #InvisibleIllness #MentalHealthUK #CompassionMatters #CheckIn
A little kindness goes a long way 🧠💬
#DaddyBlackbird #InvisibleIllness #MentalHealthUK #CompassionMatters #CheckIn
October 20, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Mental health struggles can’t always be seen — but they’re real.
A little kindness goes a long way 🧠💬
#DaddyBlackbird #InvisibleIllness #MentalHealthUK #CompassionMatters #CheckIn
A little kindness goes a long way 🧠💬
#DaddyBlackbird #InvisibleIllness #MentalHealthUK #CompassionMatters #CheckIn