The news stories I dread the most. Saugus High School, Santa Clarita. Innocent students, Gracie Anne Muehlberger (15) and Dominic Blackwell (14), fatalities in yet another preventable, senseless, school shooting at the hands of a peer with a gun.
As a mom, this story is my WORST fear. Please be aware . . . RUN. HIDE. FIGHT. I tell Peanut to defy teacher instructions to store her phone away in a remote locker. Her phone MUST be close and powered-on at ALL TIMES; just leave it on vibrate I say.
As if navigating middle-school academic and social demands aren’t enough, I frequently [as casually as possible] remind my child to identify potential escape routes and classroom hiding places.
I say a prayer when she leaves me every morning. I smile with relief when she returns to me every evening.
We are sick of thoughts and prayers. We are exhausted with sound bites, political posturing and protests. I am personally sick of 2nd Amendment Rights rhetoric. SAVE IT.
In a country so politically and morally divided, the one thing we should ALL be capable of agreeing on is that FEAR HAS NO PLACE IN OUR SCHOOLS.
Children do not deserve to die. Families and communities do not deserve to suffer in the aftermath. Survivors do not deserve the PTSD, anxiety and depression that often follows.
We are beyond NEVER AGAIN. We are beyond ENOUGH. Stop talking. ACT NOW.
Protest Art by Koy Suntichotinun
