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/ 💛
One thing I wasn’t prepared for after Steve’s suicide was how messy the “systems” were.
Police, coroners, schools, services… everyone trying, but none of it joined up.
You’re navigating the gaps no one warns you about.
And it’s in those gaps that real compassion is needed most.
#DaddyBlackbird
Police, coroners, schools, services… everyone trying, but none of it joined up.
You’re navigating the gaps no one warns you about.
And it’s in those gaps that real compassion is needed most.
#DaddyBlackbird
November 20, 2025 at 3:22 PM
One thing I wasn’t prepared for after Steve’s suicide was how messy the “systems” were.
Police, coroners, schools, services… everyone trying, but none of it joined up.
You’re navigating the gaps no one warns you about.
And it’s in those gaps that real compassion is needed most.
#DaddyBlackbird
Police, coroners, schools, services… everyone trying, but none of it joined up.
You’re navigating the gaps no one warns you about.
And it’s in those gaps that real compassion is needed most.
#DaddyBlackbird
You don’t need perfect words.
You just need presence.
If someone tells you they’ve lost someone to suicide, don’t panic.
Say: I’m so sorry. That must be incredibly hard.
Then stay 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief #Hope
You just need presence.
If someone tells you they’ve lost someone to suicide, don’t panic.
Say: I’m so sorry. That must be incredibly hard.
Then stay 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief #Hope
November 19, 2025 at 3:45 PM
You don’t need perfect words.
You just need presence.
If someone tells you they’ve lost someone to suicide, don’t panic.
Say: I’m so sorry. That must be incredibly hard.
Then stay 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief #Hope
You just need presence.
If someone tells you they’ve lost someone to suicide, don’t panic.
Say: I’m so sorry. That must be incredibly hard.
Then stay 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief #Hope
Your tribe is the anchor when storms arise and the wind beneath your wings when you soar.
When you need to feel hope, look for it in the people around you 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #SuicideLoss #Kindness #Compassion #Hope
When you need to feel hope, look for it in the people around you 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #SuicideLoss #Kindness #Compassion #Hope
November 18, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Your tribe is the anchor when storms arise and the wind beneath your wings when you soar.
When you need to feel hope, look for it in the people around you 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #SuicideLoss #Kindness #Compassion #Hope
When you need to feel hope, look for it in the people around you 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #SuicideLoss #Kindness #Compassion #Hope
❌MYTH: It only happens to certain people.
✔️FACT: #Suicide doesn’t belong to one gender, culture, age, or group. Although we know it’s more common among men, it can affect anyone.
We all have a role to play in noticing, listening, and supporting 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #ChangeTheNarrative
✔️FACT: #Suicide doesn’t belong to one gender, culture, age, or group. Although we know it’s more common among men, it can affect anyone.
We all have a role to play in noticing, listening, and supporting 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #ChangeTheNarrative
November 17, 2025 at 2:42 PM
❌MYTH: It only happens to certain people.
✔️FACT: #Suicide doesn’t belong to one gender, culture, age, or group. Although we know it’s more common among men, it can affect anyone.
We all have a role to play in noticing, listening, and supporting 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #ChangeTheNarrative
✔️FACT: #Suicide doesn’t belong to one gender, culture, age, or group. Although we know it’s more common among men, it can affect anyone.
We all have a role to play in noticing, listening, and supporting 💛
#DaddyBlackbird #ChangeTheNarrative
The Greek word for trauma literally means “to pierce one’s armour.”
It breaks through our emotional protection leaving us exposed.
It explains why grief can feel raw and overwhelming.
If you’re grieving, recognise the pain - go slowly and go gently.
#DaddyBlackbird #Grief #SuicideLoss
It breaks through our emotional protection leaving us exposed.
It explains why grief can feel raw and overwhelming.
If you’re grieving, recognise the pain - go slowly and go gently.
#DaddyBlackbird #Grief #SuicideLoss
November 16, 2025 at 6:59 PM
The Greek word for trauma literally means “to pierce one’s armour.”
It breaks through our emotional protection leaving us exposed.
It explains why grief can feel raw and overwhelming.
If you’re grieving, recognise the pain - go slowly and go gently.
#DaddyBlackbird #Grief #SuicideLoss
It breaks through our emotional protection leaving us exposed.
It explains why grief can feel raw and overwhelming.
If you’re grieving, recognise the pain - go slowly and go gently.
#DaddyBlackbird #Grief #SuicideLoss
❌ MYTH: You should be ‘over it’ by now.
✔️ FACT: There’s no deadline for grief. We don’t move on, we move forward, carrying what we lost.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief
✔️ FACT: There’s no deadline for grief. We don’t move on, we move forward, carrying what we lost.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief
November 16, 2025 at 8:42 AM
❌ MYTH: You should be ‘over it’ by now.
✔️ FACT: There’s no deadline for grief. We don’t move on, we move forward, carrying what we lost.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief
✔️ FACT: There’s no deadline for grief. We don’t move on, we move forward, carrying what we lost.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #Grief
❌ MYTH: Only close friends and family are affected by a suicide.
✔️ FACT: One single suicide touches on average 135 people - from friends to colleagues to strangers who saw themselves in the story.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #SuicideAwareness #Postvention #GriefHasNoRules
✔️ FACT: One single suicide touches on average 135 people - from friends to colleagues to strangers who saw themselves in the story.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #SuicideAwareness #Postvention #GriefHasNoRules
November 15, 2025 at 9:41 AM
❌ MYTH: Only close friends and family are affected by a suicide.
✔️ FACT: One single suicide touches on average 135 people - from friends to colleagues to strangers who saw themselves in the story.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #SuicideAwareness #Postvention #GriefHasNoRules
✔️ FACT: One single suicide touches on average 135 people - from friends to colleagues to strangers who saw themselves in the story.
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicideLoss #SuicideAwareness #Postvention #GriefHasNoRules
Whether it’s a friend, family member, colleague or complete stranger, please check in on someone today.
It matters more than you know ❤️🩹🐦⬛
Take care of yourself and each other.
Caroline
💛💛💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicidePrevention #Postvention #Hope
It matters more than you know ❤️🩹🐦⬛
Take care of yourself and each other.
Caroline
💛💛💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicidePrevention #Postvention #Hope
November 12, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Whether it’s a friend, family member, colleague or complete stranger, please check in on someone today.
It matters more than you know ❤️🩹🐦⬛
Take care of yourself and each other.
Caroline
💛💛💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicidePrevention #Postvention #Hope
It matters more than you know ❤️🩹🐦⬛
Take care of yourself and each other.
Caroline
💛💛💛
#DaddyBlackbird #SuicidePrevention #Postvention #Hope
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 🐦⬛
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 🐦⬛
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
“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 💛
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
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