Peace To All - UPDATE

Today I woke up in a rush to get 2 of my 3 children off to school on time. Once they were dropped off, I breathed a sigh of relief to have a short break from the crying and yelling and whining. However, throughout the morning and early afternoon, my feelings have changed. I want nothing more to go and pick both of them up and hug them tight. What caused this change you may ask? The continued coverage on the news networks on the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.

I live on the other side of the state where this occurred. I cannot possibly imagine what would possess a person to open fire at an elementary school housing children ages 5-10. My daughter recently started Kindergarten and other than here at home, school is another supposed "safe haven" I thought my child could spend her days. I was nearly brought to tears imagining being called to my daughter's school and having to wait an hour, maybe two to find out if she is OK and to hold her again.

As is being reported, the gunman is the son of one of the teachers at the school and one can only wonder, being that he became a victim himself, what his thought processes were to do this in the environment filled with innocent children. Apparently the motive was targeted toward his parents (the 24-year-old gunman's father was also found dead in his home in Hoboken, NJ). No judgment toward the deceased parents, but one has to wonder what the shooter's background was, his childhood, etc. More importantly, this reminds us as parents to hug our children and tell them we love them every day, to teach them to respect others and to be careful of their surroundings.

(I want to note that you please excuse any scatter-brained thoughts here as I have one ear on the television keeping up with the breaking news of this event).

Some facts that the news has reported so far:
- The gunman was a 24 year old male targeting his mother, who opened fire in the front office and continued on to his mother's classroom at approximately 9:30 this morning. The gunman turned out to be a 20 year old male who did indeed kill his mother though she was not in fact linked to the school in any way. It is still unknown why the shooter went to the school.
- 18 of the 26 victims were in fact children, only 3 made it to the hospital (no word on their conditions at the moment) 2 of the 3 that ended up in the hospital did not make it. They were also young students of Sandy Hook Elementary.
- The gunman's father was also found dead in his Hoboken, NJ home. This statement is untrue. Not sure what the connection between the body found in Hoboken and the Lanza gunman.

My heart and prayers go out to the family and friends of the victims of this tragedy so close to one of the happiest times of the year. I appreciate all of the efforts the teachers made to shield as many of the students as possible. They seemed very well trained in this situation. It could have been a lot worse seeing as one person recalled that the shooter intended to kill all that was present at the school. I pray those children find peace with the loss of their friends and administrators. I pray they are held tight by their parents tonight and every night.

Love and hug your children each and every day. Cherish them always. Listen to all that they have to say, no matter how minute it is to you, as it is not minute to them.

Peace to all.

I believe myself to be sensitive to the mentally disabled, which is what Adam Lanza was said to have suffered from. In elementary school, I spent a lot of time with a mentally disabled peer who often through fits more suitable to children 2-3 or more years younger than we were and was not able to speak. I enjoyed being her "helper." However, I am also naïve to many situations and unfamiliar with the different aspects of, types of mental disorders, etc. I was pretty upset with this whole situation and have been keeping up with the news. I was also very upset with the individual who started this and in some way probably blamed his parents. However, I came across an article that a friend posted on Facebook. And I must say that my eyes have been opened and unfortunately there is not always anything that can be done and no real reason for the actions that these individuals may take. I pray that some day we find a cure or some way to better help these individuals and their families. I do believe that there ought to be strict laws on gun control, but also believe that guns are not the ones that kill people - people do. Nonetheless, full background checks, home searches, etc should be taken as a precaution to putting these types of weapons and others in people hands and homes. I grew up in a home with a gun and my parents did well to keep it hidden. I was not aware of its whereabouts for the most part. I was also educated to stay far, far, far away from it.

Anyway, I just wanted to clarify all of the "facts" that had originally come out and that I have posted. There is still a ton of unknown out there and I hope to learn more in the coming days as the investigation continues if not for my own sanity and education, but to help better prepare my own children for scary, sad, unfortunate situations.

Thanks for lending an ear.