I had a post scheduled for today, about makeup. And in light of what happened 300 miles south of me, it seems to0 trivial to post.
Two words that bring dread and fear to the mind of every parent, school shooting.
I am so sorry for students at Virgina Tech, every parent that has a child there, and every family that has a member employed there. In fact, I'm sorry for everyone.
I just finished an amazing book, 19 minutes. It's about a school shooting. But it's about more than a school shooting. It's about before and after a school shooting, and why the shooter did what he did. I, of course, am only talking about a fictional book, but Jodi Picoult did a lot of research in writing this book, so I tend to believe it is based in fact somewhat.
The book discusses the amount of bullying that happened to the shooter his whole life before the shooting. And how he meticulously planned this shooting, and no one noticed. No one stopped the bullying, and no one stopped the shooting.
We, as parents and adults, need to start paying attention to how kids treat each other, and do something about it. It starts with a 5 year old spitting at my two year old on the playground, and continued to high school. We have all been in middle school., where kids are horribly mean to each other and cliques rule the world.
Teachers and Administrators need a non bullying policy and to stick to it. But, in order for it to work, it needs to start with the kids. Why do we feel better about ourselves when we put someone else down?
As the days and weeks and media coverage unfold on the VT shooting, I'm sure there will be endless discussions about why he did it. And I'm not excusing his behavior. I'm just saying, it was more than a breakup with a girlfriend or a bad grade. There was probably years of something before this happened.
And let's not forgot the shooter being dead is also a tragedy. All of the good riddance and I'm glad he shot himself before we could doesn't dismiss the amount of pain this young man must have been in to do this. As much as we vilify the Columbine shooters, rightly so, we never heard from them why.
When do we have a serous discussion of gun control in this country? When was the last time you heard about a school knifing that killed 32 people? I'm so fanatical about gun control I would repel the 2nd amendment. Normal people do not need guns, unless you are in law enforcement, that's my bottom line.
I'm just so sad. I can't stop thinking about the parents who didn't hear from their children and had to figure they were dead by the process of elimination. Who are driving miles to go to hospitals today praying that there was a mistake. Praying that their child was misidentified.
I think I'm going to keep this post up for a few days. I think we need to talk about this much more than the things I normally write about.
Massacre
Previous post: My kid is a party animal
Next post: Sometimes you need the frivolousness
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Jodi, I actually just wrote about the same EXACT thing.. Strange.. Your 100% right about the bullying. There has to be something that triggers this sort of behavoir in a person. Noone who is normal and happy just goes on shooting escapades like this.. I am so sad for those student and their parents. I cried last night watching the news. I am constantly fighting with my husband about the right to carry arms. He has them because of obvious job reasons, but he also believes that its our right and we can’t take that away. Its a never ending argument in this house.
Jodi, I actually just wrote about the same EXACT thing.. Strange.. Your 100% right about the bullying. There has to be something that triggers this sort of behavoir in a person. Noone who is normal and happy just goes on shooting escapades like this.. I am so sad for those student and their parents. I cried last night watching the news. I am constantly fighting with my husband about the right to carry arms. He has them because of obvious job reasons, but he also believes that its our right and we can’t take that away. Its a never ending argument in this house.
Jodi, I actually just wrote about the same EXACT thing.. Strange.. Your 100% right about the bullying. There has to be something that triggers this sort of behavoir in a person. Noone who is normal and happy just goes on shooting escapades like this.. I am so sad for those student and their parents. I cried last night watching the news. I am constantly fighting with my husband about the right to carry arms. He has them because of obvious job reasons, but he also believes that its our right and we can’t take that away. Its a never ending argument in this house.
Jodi, I actually just wrote about the same EXACT thing.. Strange.. Your 100% right about the bullying. There has to be something that triggers this sort of behavoir in a person. Noone who is normal and happy just goes on shooting escapades like this.. I am so sad for those student and their parents. I cried last night watching the news. I am constantly fighting with my husband about the right to carry arms. He has them because of obvious job reasons, but he also believes that its our right and we can’t take that away. Its a never ending argument in this house.
19 minutes is fiction but it’s based pretty closely on a shooting that took place very near my home. I’ve held off on reading it because I’m worried that it would be too painful to read.
I agree with almost everything you wrote in this very thoughtful post. The only thing I’m not 100% sure about is if it’s ok for people to own guns. On one hand I’m about as anti-NRA as you can get but on the other hand I don’t think that stopping responsible, law abiding people from owning guns is going to stop this sort of thing from happening.
19 minutes is fiction but it’s based pretty closely on a shooting that took place very near my home. I’ve held off on reading it because I’m worried that it would be too painful to read.
I agree with almost everything you wrote in this very thoughtful post. The only thing I’m not 100% sure about is if it’s ok for people to own guns. On one hand I’m about as anti-NRA as you can get but on the other hand I don’t think that stopping responsible, law abiding people from owning guns is going to stop this sort of thing from happening.
19 minutes is fiction but it’s based pretty closely on a shooting that took place very near my home. I’ve held off on reading it because I’m worried that it would be too painful to read.
I agree with almost everything you wrote in this very thoughtful post. The only thing I’m not 100% sure about is if it’s ok for people to own guns. On one hand I’m about as anti-NRA as you can get but on the other hand I don’t think that stopping responsible, law abiding people from owning guns is going to stop this sort of thing from happening.
19 minutes is fiction but it’s based pretty closely on a shooting that took place very near my home. I’ve held off on reading it because I’m worried that it would be too painful to read.
I agree with almost everything you wrote in this very thoughtful post. The only thing I’m not 100% sure about is if it’s ok for people to own guns. On one hand I’m about as anti-NRA as you can get but on the other hand I don’t think that stopping responsible, law abiding people from owning guns is going to stop this sort of thing from happening.
Great post. You are absolutely right. How many school massacres does it take before something changes?
Great post. You are absolutely right. How many school massacres does it take before something changes?
Great post. You are absolutely right. How many school massacres does it take before something changes?
Great post. You are absolutely right. How many school massacres does it take before something changes?
So Devistated. This makes me so sick. My heart goes out to everyone in the community. The first thing out of my husband’s mouth was, “And we feel that we have the right to have handguns? WHY! WHY DO WE NEED THEM?” And we don’t.
At the non-violence not-for-profit arts education program that I work for, we constantly talk about how we can improve bullying in schools and are looking for someone in our area to train us how to handle the situation a little better. Violence is among all children…the 6th graders I taught were constantly involved in school fights that happened right outside our classroom door. There is so much anger that is channeled into the body and when a weapon gets into the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to postively release aggression, things like this happen.
The scary thing is that we have no control when there are guns around. I think that we’ve all experienced enough school shottings now that we can repeal the 2nd.
So Devistated. This makes me so sick. My heart goes out to everyone in the community. The first thing out of my husband’s mouth was, “And we feel that we have the right to have handguns? WHY! WHY DO WE NEED THEM?” And we don’t.
At the non-violence not-for-profit arts education program that I work for, we constantly talk about how we can improve bullying in schools and are looking for someone in our area to train us how to handle the situation a little better. Violence is among all children…the 6th graders I taught were constantly involved in school fights that happened right outside our classroom door. There is so much anger that is channeled into the body and when a weapon gets into the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to postively release aggression, things like this happen.
The scary thing is that we have no control when there are guns around. I think that we’ve all experienced enough school shottings now that we can repeal the 2nd.
So Devistated. This makes me so sick. My heart goes out to everyone in the community. The first thing out of my husband’s mouth was, “And we feel that we have the right to have handguns? WHY! WHY DO WE NEED THEM?” And we don’t.
At the non-violence not-for-profit arts education program that I work for, we constantly talk about how we can improve bullying in schools and are looking for someone in our area to train us how to handle the situation a little better. Violence is among all children…the 6th graders I taught were constantly involved in school fights that happened right outside our classroom door. There is so much anger that is channeled into the body and when a weapon gets into the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to postively release aggression, things like this happen.
The scary thing is that we have no control when there are guns around. I think that we’ve all experienced enough school shottings now that we can repeal the 2nd.
So Devistated. This makes me so sick. My heart goes out to everyone in the community. The first thing out of my husband’s mouth was, “And we feel that we have the right to have handguns? WHY! WHY DO WE NEED THEM?” And we don’t.
At the non-violence not-for-profit arts education program that I work for, we constantly talk about how we can improve bullying in schools and are looking for someone in our area to train us how to handle the situation a little better. Violence is among all children…the 6th graders I taught were constantly involved in school fights that happened right outside our classroom door. There is so much anger that is channeled into the body and when a weapon gets into the hands of someone who doesn’t know how to postively release aggression, things like this happen.
The scary thing is that we have no control when there are guns around. I think that we’ve all experienced enough school shottings now that we can repeal the 2nd.
Fabulous post. I just really can’t say anything else.
Fabulous post. I just really can’t say anything else.
Fabulous post. I just really can’t say anything else.
Fabulous post. I just really can’t say anything else.
Yes, I have been thinking about the Virginia Tech victims all day and also blogged about this tragedy.
Yes, I have been thinking about the Virginia Tech victims all day and also blogged about this tragedy.
Yes, I have been thinking about the Virginia Tech victims all day and also blogged about this tragedy.
Yes, I have been thinking about the Virginia Tech victims all day and also blogged about this tragedy.
I couldn’t agree more about guns. Except for law enforcement, I see no sane need for every schmo to have access to guns.
And regarding bullying. It is brutal now. I remember being teased and was miserable. But fortunately I had parents who taught me that hurting other people because you are hurting is wrong. Too bad more parents don’t do the same thing.
This culture of bullying is what creates the Don Imus and Bill O’Reilly’s of the world. If kids see grown-ups being mean, why can’t they? And if there is a gun available….
I couldn’t agree more about guns. Except for law enforcement, I see no sane need for every schmo to have access to guns.
And regarding bullying. It is brutal now. I remember being teased and was miserable. But fortunately I had parents who taught me that hurting other people because you are hurting is wrong. Too bad more parents don’t do the same thing.
This culture of bullying is what creates the Don Imus and Bill O’Reilly’s of the world. If kids see grown-ups being mean, why can’t they? And if there is a gun available….
I couldn’t agree more about guns. Except for law enforcement, I see no sane need for every schmo to have access to guns.
And regarding bullying. It is brutal now. I remember being teased and was miserable. But fortunately I had parents who taught me that hurting other people because you are hurting is wrong. Too bad more parents don’t do the same thing.
This culture of bullying is what creates the Don Imus and Bill O’Reilly’s of the world. If kids see grown-ups being mean, why can’t they? And if there is a gun available….
I couldn’t agree more about guns. Except for law enforcement, I see no sane need for every schmo to have access to guns.
And regarding bullying. It is brutal now. I remember being teased and was miserable. But fortunately I had parents who taught me that hurting other people because you are hurting is wrong. Too bad more parents don’t do the same thing.
This culture of bullying is what creates the Don Imus and Bill O’Reilly’s of the world. If kids see grown-ups being mean, why can’t they? And if there is a gun available….