I'm using: self ~ mind ~ courage ~ slinky
They were submitted by Jules of The Bergham Chronicles.
I have a lot of empathy for the parents of school shootings, and not only because my cousin's daughter was at Marjory Stoneman Douglas on that day, most everyone does. For me, it hit closer to home years earlier. I don't want to make this about myself , but I went through a situation back when my kids were in high school and ended up in lock down. My boys did not suffer the trauma that the students at Sandy Hook and Parkland and Columbine (to name a few) suffered, yet I do know the panic, actually can't get it out of my mind.
Truth is, our school handled it poorly. And they handled me poorly when I brought it to their attention. The only thing worse than there actually being an active shooter, is knowing that there could be one and not only as a parent would you not know, but what you would know is that there is a good possibility that if there were, your child could be unsafe. This is a fact that traumatizes, even when the circumstance ends without incident.
The boys were in high school, as I said. I was home working on a new cocktail recipe. Normal day, normal chores, oblivious to what could be happening.
Truth is, our school handled it poorly. And they handled me poorly when I brought it to their attention. The only thing worse than there actually being an active shooter, is knowing that there could be one and not only as a parent would you not know, but what you would know is that there is a good possibility that if there were, your child could be unsafe. This is a fact that traumatizes, even when the circumstance ends without incident.
The boys were in high school, as I said. I was home working on a new cocktail recipe. Normal day, normal chores, oblivious to what could be happening.
Citrus Ginger Summer Martini
It started with a phone call from my brother in Boston, 1500 miles away. He told me there was a school shooting in my town, wanted to be sure my kids were OK. I assured him that if it were our school, our school district, or even our section of town, I'd have gotten a robo-call. As I was hanging up with him and about to turn on the TV, I got a text from my youngest. If you've read this blog for a while, you know that he is concrete and literal, not always able to discern what's salient in a situation. His text read "there's a shooter".
Yes, my heart stopped.
I texted him back asking if he was safe, behind closed doors, if he'd heard from his brother. He said that the school was in lock down and they were all safe.
I did not get my robo-call until that night and let me tell you I was pretty pissed off. A parent should never be the last to know, there's no excuse for me having learned of the situation from my brother in Boston.
But that was not the worst of it. It also wasn't until that afternoon that I found out that not only had my older son not been safe, but had the shooter been at his school, he'd actually have been a sitting duck.
The shooter was at another high school a mile from our house. There was no real danger for my kids.
When the lock down occurred, my older son was stuck in a loophole in the system. His teacher had released them for lunch, locked the classroom and left the school herself (no blame, she's allowed). The kids were on their way to the lunchroom when the emergency system went into effect. They ran but the lunchroom was already locked. They ran back to their classroom to find it locked as well. For a time, my son and his friends were running back and forth through the hallways.
Later, I sent the school system a letter. It was not with an angry tone, I didn't even mention the notification issue as the safety issue was so much more important. I told them that although nothing wrong occurred, there was a situation in their system that came to light that left some students unprotected and needed to be addressed for the safety of all.
To this day I have not heard back from them. I don't know whether the students currently at that school are more safe than mine was or not. I do know that no matter how prepared we think our school system is, we never know.
Speaking up takes courage. The Parkland students have that and then some. They have been met with support, but they've also been met with personal attacks, an abomination as far as I'm concerned. They continue on their quest with heads held high. They don't slink yet hold their ground. And as a parent who knows the panic of the emergency (but not the true trauma of their actually having been one), let me say that all parents, even those who are despicable enough to attack these kids, are the possible future recipients of their efforts. Get it, Dana Loesch? Laura Ingraham? Next time, if G-d forbid there is one, it could be you. What if YOUR kid is not as safe as you think?
Here are links to all the other Use Your Words posts:
On the Border
Cognitive Script
The Bergham Chronicles
Southern Belle Charm
The Blogging 911
Climaxed
12personalities12
My Brand of Crazy
Citrus Ginger Summer Martini
Ingredients (per cocktail):
3 oz Limoncello liqueur1 oz Patron Citronge Orange or Grand Marnier
4 oz ginger ale
1 TBSP lemon or orange juice
1 TBSP sugar
OPT: lemon or orange peel and/or candied ginger for garnish
Directions:
*Put 3 or 4 ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Add the Limoncello and orange liqueur. Mix.
*Add the ginger ale to the shaker. Mix carefully and wait to allow some of the fizz to settle and the ice to cool the drink.
*Place the juice on a rimmed plate. Spread the sugar onto another plate. Wet just the rim of your martini glass by dipping it in the juice, then dip the glass into the colored sugar to sugar the rim.
*Place the top on the cocktail shaker and pour the liquid only into the center of your martini glass, being careful not to wet the sugar rim.
*OPT: garnish with lemon or orange peel and/or candied ginger.
Oh, please no. This is my prayers every day and in my almost constant thought.
ReplyDeletePlease protect the children!
Exactly. If we can't agree on protecting the children, how far we have fallen.
DeleteThis is my biggest fear. My grand babies start school in a couple of years and I'm terrified for them. I am so proud of the Parkland students and what they are doing. I think the rest is up to us voters. Did you see what Bank of America announced this week? They will no longer bank with people who make these types of guns. We need more of that!
ReplyDeleteI did see it and I'm glad that companies are finally taking a stand for the children. It's way overdue.
DeleteMSD is only 15 minutes from my home, and one of my closest friends is a teacher there. I'll never forget that horrible day and the panic we all felt. Thankfully, my own kids never had to experience it, but two of my kids are now teachers, so of course I worry. I am so proud of the MSD students----I truly believe they will be the change we need. I'd love to see them all in office one day and to turn the current administration upside down!
ReplyDeleteI could not agree with you more. And my cousin's daughter actually was in MSD on that day. Truth is, it doesn't have to hit close to home for those of us with any level of compassion to realize that something is very wrong here.
DeleteI'm so glad I am able to homeschool Evan. I would not have been nearly so calm in my informing that school if my anxiety let me live long enough to tell them!
ReplyDeleteI tried to be calm just so they would hear reason and not hysteria. Seems it didn't much matter. I fear for the kids who are now in this school system.
DeleteI'm sad to say you handled it with grace, unfortunately I think at least verbally I would have gone postal on them.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was handling it with maturity. In retrospect it seems I may as well have let them know exactly how I felt.
DeleteSo, so proud of Parkland students. I still think about the shooting that took place blocks from where I work, having taken an early lunch with no clue as to what was happening, and being locked out of my office building. But it was me, not my child. One of my husband’s cousins teaches high school a half hour from MSD. I can’t begin to imagine what you went through that day. I only had a tiny tiny taste.The Parkland students are the answer to our thoughts and prayers. Alana eamblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI like the way you put that, that these young adults are the answer to our thoughts and prayers. Well said.
DeleteI would have gone postal and been on the news raising hell. And as a grandparent, even in this small backward town I currently live in, I am scared to death for my Grands.
ReplyDeleteThe reason you (all of us) are scared to death is because each devastating incident ends up bring no change. How absurd is that?
DeleteYikes, what a scary situation! All of these shootings have to stop. Our school district is having a forum on safety with the local police. I pray my kids (and all kids) will feel safe in school.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear about the forum in your school district, I hope they come up with a plan and that all first responders, school personnel, students and parents are comfortable with the strategy.
Delete