Posts

Showing posts from March, 2023

My Friend Asks How She Can Send Her Child to School Where She Might Be Shot

Image
All you can do is not think about it. Don't picture your child hearing loud bangs like the biggest door slamming. Don't imagine the confusion clouding his face, quickly replaced by the understanding that he's in danger. Don't share the panic he feels when he thinks he's forgotten the active shooter drills he practiced , those terrifying moments when adults pretend that someone has arrived to hurt them even though adults are supposed to keep them safe. photo by Nicole Hester/The Tennessean via AP Don't visualize his eyes getting wide with fear and his sweet face draining of color as his teacher gathers the children into a knot and tells them to go go go silently, quickly, to their safe space, wherever that is. Don't think of the black tip of a long gun bobbing as it's carried down the hall past the cafeteria with its small seats, past the trophy case full of pride, past your child's classroom door.  Try not to imagine your child wetting her pants in s