Two elementary school children were best friends in life, each the other's greatest comfort, and in death, it was no different. The two 9-year-old girls perished together in Plaza Towers, one of the schools razed by the devastating tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. The girls were "inseparable" in life, and at the end, it appears they clung to each other. Says the mom of one of the girls: "We take some comfort in thinking that she and Emily were holding onto each other and not alone."

When was the last time you sat your teenager down for a talk about his or her private parts? Ohhhh, you think they're too old for that? This might change your mind: a teen died of testicular cancer this month. He was just 16 years old.

It's tragic. And sad. And it all could have been prevented.

As the search and rescue efforts come to an end, and the death toll from the Oklahoma tornado continues to change, the heartbreaking individual stories of the victims are being told. Among the most heart-wrenching is that of Megan Futrell and her 5-month-old baby.

According to The Daily Mail, the 29-year-old mother and junior high school teacher was desperate to reach her other son, 6-year-old Cody, when the weather started getting bad. Like many of us would have done -- or wanted to do -- she set out to get him, to be with him, to protect him. Unfortunately, she never made it.

There are two stages in a child's life that strike fear in parents' hearts like none other -- toddlerhood and puberty. Both happening simultaneously sounds like a nightmare, but it's the heartbreaking reality for one family as their 2-year-old is reportedly going through early puberty.

According to People's Daily Online, a toddler in China, identified only as Dandan, is being treated for what's technically known as "precocious puberty." When she was 8 months old she began developing breasts, and shortly after her first birthday she began menstruating. It's difficult to imagine how baffled and frightened her parents must have been.

The people in Oklahoma are still in shock and trying to pick up the pieces (literally) of their shattered lives after a horrifically large tornado ripped through the suburbs of Oklahoma City, destroying nearly everything in its wake. There have so far been 24 confirmed deaths, nine of them children (downgraded from an erroneous count of 91). The twister tore through two elementary schools, a hospital, and countless homes. Here's what we know so far.

Once again we're all hugging our children just a few seconds longer this morning before we send them off to school. As of this writing, 9 children have died in the Moore, Oklahoma tornado. With perverse precision, this storm managed to focus its deadly winds on two elementary schools, Briarwood and Plaza Towers. And we're yet again witnessing the unbearable news of children in the path of danger, some cruelly wrested from this world.

So we watch reunions. Seeing Oklahoma parents who have found their children and get to hold their babies again is a sweet balm for all of us who are saddened by the tragedy. It's almost as if watching over and over again could undo all the deaths -- almost. But of course, that's impossible. Even now, there are parents still searching for their kids. And if knowing that opens up another gash of heartache for you, bring your mind back to the children who survived.

The initial death toll for the devastating two-mile-wide tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma for a shocking 40 minutes Monday afternoon, is presumed to be 24, lower than previous counts from last night that had it as high as 91. Though it might continue to climb, at least some of the dead are children. It's an absolute nightmare scenario, a tragedy beyond any kind of comprehension.

The state's medical examiner's office said the office anticipates 40 more deaths from Monday's twister. This isn't a movie. This is real life. It's possibly the worst tornado in history and is coming on the heels of so many tragedies in the past few months, it's almost impossible to process.

For those in the path of the storm, things were fine one minute, and 10 minutes later, everything was destroyed. It's the kind of thing that makes you ask why? Why do things like this happen? There is no explanation.

The images of the powerful tornado that ripped through Oklahoma this afternoon and its aftermath are horrifying, but none are more heartbreaking than those of the two schools that were in its path. Rescuers are currently searching through the rubble now, and the number of deaths there and elsewhere throughout the state continues to rise.

According to reports, both Plaza Towers Elementary School and Briarwood Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma, were hit ... and hit hard, with the buildings' roofs being ripped right off. While several children have been pulled from the rubble alive, it's unknown how many teachers and students were in the building at the time ... and where many of them are now.

CNN reports that at this time, at least 51 people -- including 20 from Plaza Towers Elementary School -- were killed. We can only hope that number doesn't grow.