It was fairly simple. And feeling safe at school was routine … every day.
Today’s headline of a bomb threat at Sandy Hook brought back terrible memories of learning about this tragedy two years ago. We assume our children will return from school, maybe with a skinned knee from recess, but we don’t ever imagine they won’t ever come back at all.
When today’s children hear a warning bell or a loud sound at school, their instinct is to assume that an intruder is in the building. Most schools provide Hard Lock Down Drills to review a safety plan in the case of an emergency or an intruder. When my daughter returns home from school on those days, she explains where she goes in her classroom and that she would pull her desk in front of herself for “extra protection.” She says this very matter of fact. It’s simply the life experience she is used to. It’s her “normal,” but it’s my terrifying.
I can’t shield them from these news stories. They are everywhere. I simply need to be prepared to provide a response when they ask the tough questions, like “Why do people want to hurt kids?” I don’t have good answers for myself or for them. But what I do have is an enormous hug and the assurance that I love them.
How do you handle these hard questions at home?
