A 9 yr olds poor/hurtful choices

I know very weird for two posts in one day. However, needed to vent so here it goes. Okay guess I need to start by giving you a little intro before my story. Our neighbors that live one street over from us have four children the oldest Brittany is 9 and in Austins grade the youngest is in preschool and is 4. Well their dad has been really really sick. He has cancer. I guess this summer he became even worse to the point where he is days away from passing away. So that was the intro to my wanting to crawl in a hole and hide. This afternoon I get a call from Austin's principal telling me that my darling son while not understanding the full severity of their dad, proceeds to go to Brittany and say "SO DID YOUR DAD DIE YET"!!!! Okay what in heavens name do I say to his principal other than MY SON SAID WHAAAAAT!!!! These poor poor people are hanging on by a shoe string and my son has the audacity to say such a mean hateful thing. I will see these people and I have to admit I am related to this fool. I tell her to please tell this family that I am soooooooooo sorry and I will speak to him about this and deal with it.

He walks through the door and I am waiting for him. I explain to him that for all the trouble Colby has been in in his whole life that never was it as serious as the one comment that came out of Austin's mouth. I said to him that what he said was worse than taking a board and slamming her over the head. Because what he did was hurt her heart and that can not be fixed by a simple sorry. I said how would you feel if your dad was dying and someone said that to you. Knowing that you would never see your dad again. Not only did he embarrass himself but our entire family because you know she went home and told her family, friends at school etc. So I can just picture the stares and whispers the next time we are seen out or at the school. The punishment was loss of TV, video games, a very sincere apology letter to the entire family and hopefully just a better understanding of the severity of the hurtfulness words can cause. But I am praying to God that he thinks before he opens his mouth the next time.

Any thoughts of anything else I should say to my boy or do for this poor family.

One can only imagine what I am in for once they are teenagers.