I stare blank at my screen, knowing not where I should begin. What would echo my emotions, but also sound politically correct?
I will start by quoting Amanda Gorman’s poem about the devastating Texas school shooting that shook us on May 24th, 2022
“It takes a monster to kill children. But to watch monsters kill children again and again and do nothing isn’t just insanity – it’s inhumanity... The truth is, one nation, under guns.”
Until last week I was just a regular mom waking up in the morning only worrying about what I should pack for my son’s snack and lunch. Then I received a video of an Indian origin boy being bullied and assaulted. The video clearly shows who attacked first. But somehow the schools reached the conclusion that the victim should get a 3 day In school suspension (ISS) and the assaulter should get a 1 day ISS. I didn’t care about what punishment the assaulter got, my stomach churned at the thought of the ordeal.
My son has Cerebral Palsy and is starting middle school next year. What if anybody decided to hurt him like this? He doesn’t even have the strength or ability to fight back! My sane and sorted husband calmed my thoughts and said, “you can’t protect him all your life. If he faces such situations, then he’ll learn from it and emerge stronger.” But I’m a woman and a mother and simple logical reasoning just doesn’t work for us. We have to overthink it, that’s what we do best!
I was just beginning to move on from this incident, when the news of yesterday’s Elementary School shootout hit us!
Mothers like me woke up early in the morning to get their child ready for school. Each hair plaited with dreams, each bag packed with aspirations, each pencil case laced with hopes. These were small children like ours who went to school to learn and explore. They shouldn’t have to dodge bullets, run for their lives or die for no fault of theirs. All they should be doing is read and enjoy their school life.
We moved to the US for our son’s treatment and schooling. We wanted him to have a life as “normal” as possible. We fell in love with the “inclusion” he received in school here.
But of late, all I wonder is if my son will ever be safe from bullying, racism and gun violence.
Just because some people are hungry for power, and hold on to unjustified laws, why should his childhood be difficult?
Referring to Amanda Gorman’s poem, who is the actual monster here? The boy who killed innocent children, the people who do nothing about it, or the people who in the first place made it possible for a 19 year old boy to get his hands on a gun?
Texas Governor Abbot says, “it could have been worse.”
How much more “worse” would it take for humanity to react?
#IfIDieInASchoolShooting #PrayForUvalde #USGunLaws #AreOurChildrenSafe #SayItLikeYouMeanIt #Unfiltered