Angela Simmons Opens Up
Somber as it was, Angela Simmons recounted how heartbreaking her little boy found out his father Sutton Tennyson had died at a relatively recent guest appearance on Baby This Is Keke Palmer. Simmons has fought hard against the chilling reality of having lost Tennyson, who was killed in a shooting incident in Atlanta in 2018, and the effects it had on her and their only son Sutton Joseph Jr who was only two at the time of the injury.
The 2018 death of Tennyson remains a traumatic event for Simmons and her family to date. As the primary caregiver of her one and only child, his untimely death created a vacuum that has been almost impossible to overcome. Simmons had Tennyson as her partner in parenting when she and Tennyson gave birth to son Sutton Jr. in 2016 though the couple’s relationship has been turbulent. This catastrophic event that occurred in 2018 is something that Simmons knew she would one day have to think about how to discuss it with her son and it was not something that she would have control over.
Simmons just cringed at the time when her son dared to ask her about his the father. During the podcast, she talked about how she got an awful phone call from her son, who wanted to know about the death of his father. “He gets on the phone with me, and he’s bawling,” she said. Her son, filled with confusion and pain, asked her, “I don’t know why he’s not here, but why would somebody shoot him?”
Moment Her Son Learned the Truth.
This was the part that was hardest for Simmons as a mother. Not only was she dealing with the death of Sutton Tennyson, but she was also dealing with how to tell this terrible news to her little boy. She expressed her deep sorrow about not being able to control how and when her son learned about his father’s death. “I hated how he found out,” she admitted, highlighting the struggle of managing such a heavy conversation with a child. What saddening the situation in all these scenarios for Simmons was learning that her son had gone on the internet looking for the circumstances surrounding his father’s death. In an era where everything is within reach and clarity is only a click away, Simmons understood why her son had searched for how his father had died.
The very next day after the first call, her son asked her in the most unsettling manner, “Someone murdered him?” This was a painful thing for Simmons since she had to accept that her son would learn the most terrible truths about his father’s death from the internet. For Simmons, the situation certainly highlighted the difficulties which one faced when raising a child while coping with the loss of a loved one.
It was perhaps most painful for her not finding the answers as a mother to explain a horrific and purposeless act of violence to her cute little boy without exposing him to the overwhelming sadness of the circumstances. Simmons very much detailed how hard it was for her trying to protect her son from all the horrific details while at the same time trying to be realistic with him. Being a mother in this situation has generally been a matter of explaining and comforting her son.
Reflecting on Her Son Awareness
In the most candid exchange with Palmer on Baby This Is Keke Palmer, Angela Simmons talked about one of the most difficult moments in her life when her kid found out how his father had passed away over the internet. Simmons recounted the painful time when she learned that her son had found out about his father Sutton Tennyson’s death on the internet, long before she had the opportunity to tell his son about it. She especially regretted the failure to control such an important lesson in her son’s life. “I just hated that the internet had the courtesy to tell my son instead of I”, she lamented making it clear that it was an unfortunate situation she had not prepared for. The startling thought that her son had heard his father’s murder story without her to help make sense of it was something she simply could not comprehend.
She voiced her apprehension regarding the possible information one can find trying to answer a question on the internet. The internet with its large but sometimes misleading and incomplete content may carry some information that not so fully reinstates the facts or does so in simple and childish ways so that they will be understood by a young child. Simmons was disappointed at the fact that although there exists a sense of loss, it arose from the fact that before the internet came along, she had the chance of having sensitive discussions with her child. “I was so bothered because he got the story and the narrative from online before I could even like sit him down and have that conversation,” she explained, trying to capture how unnerving this was for her.
Encouraging Her Son
When Simmons found out that her son had taken to the internet to look up more information regarding his father’s death, she tried to get in touch with him and encourage him to abandon that line of inquiry. She appreciated that he has to be protected from things which entail reading about tragic events in cold and possibly exaggerated articles. As a mother, she wanted to be the one to explain the situation, to answer his questions with care, and to guide him through the painful emotions that come with losing a parent. Yet, the internet had taken care of that, and that loss of control over the situation was something she could not come to terms with.
Simmons gives a personal account of how upsetting it was to know they could not control the story their son was exposed to. She understood that once her son got started looking for information from the web, it was practically impossible to take back what was read. She did not want him to know the more upsetting things, but when she knew he had already found those things out, all she could do was help him with what he already knew and try to mitigate the negative aspects of it. It was perfectly normal for her son to want to know more about how his father died, but it left Simmons worried about living in the modern era where a child’s curiosity could so easily be satiated with a search that revealed many ugly truths which such a young child should not have to face.
Conviction of Sutton Tennyson’s Killer
In 2022, the individual who took Sutton Tennyson’s life, Michael Williams, was sentenced to life imprisonment. For Simmons, this was in her view a significant achievement in the legal quest for justice, but on a personal level it was also an opportunity to reflect on the anguish that she and her son Nightmare will have to go through still. At the time of the hearing, Angela Simmons made full use of the chance to tell the court her story and issued a moving statement which helped everyone understand what was at stake for their family and their little boy in particular in the wake of Sutton’s loss.
Simmons Saying she cannot bear watching her son ask her, time and time again, why his father has not come home yet and when will he come back, something every child in her position shouldn’t have to hear is because of my son is heartbreaking. “He asks me every time when his dad will be back,” she said, starkly juxtaposing that with a child’s sheer simplicity, a gap left by unexplainable absence. This is an aspect of the injury that was inflicted by the death of Tennyson on their son and which has emotional and psychological scars that are far-reaching, and one that Simmons wishes she could forget.
Simmons went on to reveal her profound regret for her son, who she realizes will never know the joy of having a father around. She said that her son who will be “left with those eternal questions: what would it be like to have a dad and to grow up with a dad?” This sentiment is even more painful because it is not just the void of what existed that causes this pain but loss of potential.
The Pain of What Could Have Been
The anguish that Simmons carries is made worse because of her thoughts of Tennyson’s joy about being a father. She explained that Tennyson had always been looking forward to becoming a joint parent to their child and that this dream was very short-lived. “I cry the most when I know the expectations Sutton had for raising their kid because I know that those intentions will remain unfulfilled.” In her voice there was a heaviness as if every sentiment expressed was a fresh wound cut into her heart. This is a cross that she carries, not only as a woman who is grieving for her lost partner but as a woman whose dreams of handing in the father who wished to witness every step taken by their child have evaded her middle aged years.
Besides everything, Angela Simmons strength cannot be exaggerated this time as a mother and as a woman who has gone through everything that there is emotional snags associated with loosing someone you love especially for the worst reasons. Apart from the pain that her partner is not in, and there is a child who has lost a parent and has been left with an unbearable win factor, she progresses with hope and love for the son.
This stems from the fact that Simmons was comfortable talking about the new ordeal that has been protective – of her son, and of allowing him to face the many ugly truths surrounding his father’s death. She accepts the position of a guardian, however, helping her son confront the actuality of what happened while battling her own sorrow. Her story resonates with many who have experienced loss, showing that even in the darkest times, the love of a parent can guide a child through the pain.
Conclusion
Angela Simmons‘ experience demonstrates the vulnerability that a parent would feel trying to raise a child in a generation where a child would not hesitate to run to the internet for answers even before the parent. The painful knowledge of her son coming across the information on his father’s death is one that Simmons has to live with. However, her attention remains on helping her son cope with the loss through love, understanding, and truthfulness.
As she continues to share her story, Angela Simmons reminds us of the importance of being there for our loved ones, even when the circumstances are beyond our control. Her journey as a mother is one of strength, resilience, and deep love, showing that while the internet may have told her son about his father’s death, it is Simmons who will help him heal.
