Defending Jacob- Post 1

Near the beginning of the book I noticed that the death of Ben Rifkin causes the parents of Newton to discuss how they should cling to their children while they still can. I could not help but think, would the situation be similar to the children if a parent was murdered? Would children wish to cling to  their parents and cherish them? Or is the shock that comes with an adult's death so minute that the children would remain completely oblivious to it?