Safety is a right, not a privilege. Especially when it comes to our children. As a mother, it hurts my heart to know that my children are not guaranteed this right, that their safety – especially in a school setting – is not something they can take for granted anymore.
Do you remember the days when we could go to school and not worry about setting off the alarm? Or when the most excitement we had was someone lighting a cigarette too close to the smoke alarm and we all had to rush outside and fool around until forced back into class? 
Sadly – those aren’t memories our children will have. They’ll remember the security as they walk into school, how certain words couldn’t even be whispered, the anti-bully and gun violence sessions they went to. They will remember being afraid way too often as they hear of other schools being closed due to gun violence.
Gun violence. In our schools. I’m very glad – let me repeat – very glad – to live in Canada where this is the exception and not the rule. I hate that it is becoming the norm in schools in America. I hate that the surety of security is no longer there. Our children’s lives are no longer secure in schools, that things like ‘bulletproof security blankets‘ have to be created and available for children.
Why is it okay that something like these bulletproof blankets are even necessary for our children?
I wish we could reverse time and live in a society where gun violence isn’t a regular occurrence in the school system. I wish our children could walk to school in peace, that they could learn and grown and socialize at school without the fear of worrying for their lives, I wish that places like Sandy Hook and Newton never had to go through the trauma and horror of experiencing gun violence first hand in their school.
Our children need to be protected. They need to feel safe and secure and I hate that things like ‘bulletproof security blankets’ are becoming necessary and may one day protect the life of a child/teacher during the school hours.
(this is just one mother’s rant over the safety of not only her child, but for children everywhere)
It’s not just the schools– helicopter parenting is almost the expectation now in our society. I think a few moms would soon roll their kids in bubble wrap, helmet them, etc. — all exaggerations aside, yes, there is danger in the world. But we are overresponding to the media. They push the stories for money, money, money. Objective journalism is long, long gone in mass outlets. We have lost perspective.
This even after kids were shot in their home in MY city. This even after gang violence is on the rise in certain parts of my city. Yes, there is a need to take care and address important issues, BUT it still doesn’t overrule proper perspective. Our society is overreacting, IMHO.
I left my job as a school counselor two years ago and since I’ve had many days of missing the ringing of the bells, the hugs of kids, the bright backpacks and shiny shoes every fall…but now I’m GLAD I did, because I know how baffled and anxious every adult working in schools is, wondering how to anticipate and prevent these threats, knowing there’s no way to in our current culture.
It’s horrible and makes me outraged that guns are more protected than our children… And I’m embarrassed as an American. A whole lot of really bad feelings and nowhere to go with them but to the polls… and hope conscience outweighs the big bux of the gun lobby!
I went to school in the 90s, so I don’t remember metal detectors, but I remember lots of threats and people taking them seriously because of Columbine.