EDITORIAL

The morning after a mass school shooting in America …

Posted 5/25/22

You take extra care packing their little lunchbox.

You struggle a little more picking out their next outfit for school. (Warm enough for shorts? Expecting rain? Should I have purchased a …

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EDITORIAL

The morning after a mass school shooting in America …

Posted

You take extra care packing their little lunchbox.

You struggle a little more picking out their next outfit for school. (Warm enough for shorts? Expecting rain? Should I have purchased a bulletproof backpack?)

You get a little snippy, insisting your youngster brush their teeth, fix their hair and wear “the nice shoes.” Then you feel bad because you got snippy.

But you don’t tell them to hurry.

You don’t worry as much about being tardy the day after a school shooting in America.

You hold onto your child a little longer. You hug your kid a little tighter.

You won’t let them leave the house until they say “I love you.” No matter how old they are, you ensure they leave the house knowing how much you love them.

This is modern American parenting. 

You absorb some of the collective guilt. You wish you lectured them less, hugged them more, prepared them better.

Should we have talked about the massacre in Texas? Should I tell my child how many young lives were lost? Should we avoid the topic completely?

Isn’t it better they hear it from us? The kids will surely be talking about it at school.

Our children tend to lose focus. Sometimes they get distracted by the smallest, stupidest things.

Did my child pay attention when it mattered most — during the active shooter drill? Do they know where to hide? Do they know where to run?

The morning after a mass school shooting in America … happens far too often.

editorial, opinion

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