Monday, January 30, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
When Guns Are Found Near School
Sometimes I think we shouldn't write posts when we're emotional.
Other times, writing it out might be a helpful way to deal with something.
Something like guns being found outside your kid's school.
As a mom, after finding out bits and pieces about guns being found at crosswalks and in the street, I did my best to remain calm, putting my trust in the fact that if there were a problem I'd hear from the school...and, of course, doubted that trust more and more every minute I didn't hear anything. I reminded myself that I'd certainly learn details later, and everything would be clear.
The details have come out, and I'm angry.
A man had forgotten that he left his guns on top of his car. When he drove away (and past the school), the guns fell off and onto the street.
I won't even tell you the potential scenarios that raced through my head this afternoon and evening (I can't -- it's too much). What I didn't imagine was that a guy left his guns on top of his car. You know, like you do with a cup of Coke, or the box of leftovers from the restaurant.
So, why so angry?
Don't I know that people have a right in this country to own a gun? Don't I realize that the gun owner did the right thing by contacting the police to let them know that his guns were missing? Can't I understand that we all make mistakes? Don't I realize that the guns weren't loaded, and so the situation could have been a lot worse, but it wasn't? And Talk To Your Kids About Gun Safety?
Uh, yeah.
But here's the thing: if you go through all the work to legally own a gun, and then you're careless with that gun, you should be punished for being careless with that gun. BECAUSE IT'S A GUN.
That this situation turned out to be a how-to on What To Do If You Find A Gun Near School doesn't make it okay that it happened. Why? Because of the What-Ifs. What if the mom who saw the gun assumed it was a toy and drove on by? What if the 8-year-old boy who found and picked up the OTHER gun decided to just hold on to it, maybe to show to his friends or take home? What if someone else (a teenager? Another adult?) who does not hold a gun permit found either of the guns and kept it? And, of course, we can't forget: What if the gun owner had not, in fact, emptied the gun(s) of their ammunition?
What-Ifs? Yes. Because guess what. Accidents happen, and you know it and I know it, and I'm too tired to look up examples and link to them, but they happen, and we both know it.
When my daughter got home, she called me. "Hi, Mom! Guess what happened at school today!"
"Guns?"
"How did you know?"
"I saw some things about it on my phone."
"Well, we had to go into lockdown, the whole school did."
"What does 'lockdown' mean?"
"We all just went into our teacher's small office -- our whole class was in there. We had to be very still and totally quiet while the police searched the school for another gun or a shooter."
And THAT is when I lost it. The idea of my daughter, crowded into her teacher's office along with the rest of her classmates, being 'very still and totally quiet' while POLICE searched her SCHOOL for ANOTHER GUN or a SHOOTER.
This is not about being political. This is about a mom who wants her kids to NOT be around guns. Simple.
Other times, writing it out might be a helpful way to deal with something.
Something like guns being found outside your kid's school.
As a mom, after finding out bits and pieces about guns being found at crosswalks and in the street, I did my best to remain calm, putting my trust in the fact that if there were a problem I'd hear from the school...and, of course, doubted that trust more and more every minute I didn't hear anything. I reminded myself that I'd certainly learn details later, and everything would be clear.
The details have come out, and I'm angry.
A man had forgotten that he left his guns on top of his car. When he drove away (and past the school), the guns fell off and onto the street.
I won't even tell you the potential scenarios that raced through my head this afternoon and evening (I can't -- it's too much). What I didn't imagine was that a guy left his guns on top of his car. You know, like you do with a cup of Coke, or the box of leftovers from the restaurant.
So, why so angry?
Don't I know that people have a right in this country to own a gun? Don't I realize that the gun owner did the right thing by contacting the police to let them know that his guns were missing? Can't I understand that we all make mistakes? Don't I realize that the guns weren't loaded, and so the situation could have been a lot worse, but it wasn't? And Talk To Your Kids About Gun Safety?
Uh, yeah.
But here's the thing: if you go through all the work to legally own a gun, and then you're careless with that gun, you should be punished for being careless with that gun. BECAUSE IT'S A GUN.
That this situation turned out to be a how-to on What To Do If You Find A Gun Near School doesn't make it okay that it happened. Why? Because of the What-Ifs. What if the mom who saw the gun assumed it was a toy and drove on by? What if the 8-year-old boy who found and picked up the OTHER gun decided to just hold on to it, maybe to show to his friends or take home? What if someone else (a teenager? Another adult?) who does not hold a gun permit found either of the guns and kept it? And, of course, we can't forget: What if the gun owner had not, in fact, emptied the gun(s) of their ammunition?
What-Ifs? Yes. Because guess what. Accidents happen, and you know it and I know it, and I'm too tired to look up examples and link to them, but they happen, and we both know it.
When my daughter got home, she called me. "Hi, Mom! Guess what happened at school today!"
"Guns?"
"How did you know?"
"I saw some things about it on my phone."
"Well, we had to go into lockdown, the whole school did."
"What does 'lockdown' mean?"
"We all just went into our teacher's small office -- our whole class was in there. We had to be very still and totally quiet while the police searched the school for another gun or a shooter."
And THAT is when I lost it. The idea of my daughter, crowded into her teacher's office along with the rest of her classmates, being 'very still and totally quiet' while POLICE searched her SCHOOL for ANOTHER GUN or a SHOOTER.
This is not about being political. This is about a mom who wants her kids to NOT be around guns. Simple.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Cupcake War on Bullying
I won't soon forget the day my daughter came home from school and casually mentioned what had happened in her classroom that day: "After recess, we were all in our seats reading quietly when a boy who was not in our class -- Mom, he's not even in our grade, he's older than us! -- this boy walked right into our classroom and right up to Jason* and started punching him in the face."
At the time she told me this story, my daughter was in second grade.
I asked her, "What did your teacher do?"
"She didn't know what was happening at first, but she yelled for the boy to get out of her class, and followed him into the hall to bring him to the office."
"Did anybody know this big kid was going to go after Jason?"
"Well, some of us saw him at recess, he was teasing Jason and trying to fight. Jason was pretty scared, but when the bell rang we all just came inside."
As I watched my young girl tell me this story in her it's-just-what-happened-today tone, my heart broke a little as I hoped she wouldn't be exposed to too much of this at such a young age, to say nothing of the more severe violence which is so prevalent in schools worldwide.
Bullying in schools is a reality. Unfortunately, many students don't report bullying due to fear of retaliation. But now, those who witness bullying can be more empowered to speak up, thanks to SchoolTipline.
SchoolTipline** is a service which offers students an anonymous tip line, using text or going online to report bullying or other situations which compromise the safe school environment. SchoolTipline originated in Utah, and is used by over 300 schools nationwide, but currently only 35 schools in Utah, largely due to lack of funding.
Once again: Sweet Tooth Fairy to the rescue!
The Sweet Tooth Fairy is declaring a Cupcake War on Bullying in Utah. For every cupcake sold at any of the nine Sweet Tooth Fairy locations, 25 cents will be donated to Safe to Talk***, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds to support SchoolTipline. The Sweet Tooth Fairy herself told me she wants to see SchoolTipline available in every school in Utah.
Let's review:
You buy a cupcake, and 25 cents goes toward giving Utah students access to SchoolTipline, a tool used to empower kids to speak up when they see, or experience, bullying.
Simple? Yes. Everybody wins? YES.
Which flavor will you choose?
*Name has been changed
**Check out the SchoolTipline graphic to see exactly how the system works
***Please visit the Safe to Talk site to see how they're making an impact (I recommend reading the case studies)
At the time she told me this story, my daughter was in second grade.
I asked her, "What did your teacher do?"
"She didn't know what was happening at first, but she yelled for the boy to get out of her class, and followed him into the hall to bring him to the office."
"Did anybody know this big kid was going to go after Jason?"
"Well, some of us saw him at recess, he was teasing Jason and trying to fight. Jason was pretty scared, but when the bell rang we all just came inside."
As I watched my young girl tell me this story in her it's-just-what-happened-today tone, my heart broke a little as I hoped she wouldn't be exposed to too much of this at such a young age, to say nothing of the more severe violence which is so prevalent in schools worldwide.
Bullying in schools is a reality. Unfortunately, many students don't report bullying due to fear of retaliation. But now, those who witness bullying can be more empowered to speak up, thanks to SchoolTipline.
SchoolTipline** is a service which offers students an anonymous tip line, using text or going online to report bullying or other situations which compromise the safe school environment. SchoolTipline originated in Utah, and is used by over 300 schools nationwide, but currently only 35 schools in Utah, largely due to lack of funding.
Once again: Sweet Tooth Fairy to the rescue!
The Sweet Tooth Fairy is declaring a Cupcake War on Bullying in Utah. For every cupcake sold at any of the nine Sweet Tooth Fairy locations, 25 cents will be donated to Safe to Talk***, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds to support SchoolTipline. The Sweet Tooth Fairy herself told me she wants to see SchoolTipline available in every school in Utah.
Let's review:
You buy a cupcake, and 25 cents goes toward giving Utah students access to SchoolTipline, a tool used to empower kids to speak up when they see, or experience, bullying.
Simple? Yes. Everybody wins? YES.
Which flavor will you choose?
*Name has been changed
**Check out the SchoolTipline graphic to see exactly how the system works
***Please visit the Safe to Talk site to see how they're making an impact (I recommend reading the case studies)
Monday, January 16, 2012
Mindy Gledhill's Winter Moon (winner!)
Wow. WOW. Mindy Gledhill must have the greatest fans in the world. I love that there were so many vying for a CD with Christmas songs at the beginning of January. (Winter music! Winter music!)
Before I announce the winner, I'd like to let you all know that you can purchase Winter Moon -- or any of Mindy's other albums (or sheet music, or t-shirts) on her website. In fact, you should send your sweetheart to Mindy's store so you can get the gift of your dreams (check out the Valentine's Day special she's got going on right now).
And now, the winner, according to random.org:
The winner is Steph, who commented:
Congratulations, Steph! Please email your contact information to jennyeckton@gmail.com and I shall mail your CD to you.
Thanks, everyone, for entering, and remember to visit Mindy's site to get your own copy of Winter Moon. We all know you want it.
Before I announce the winner, I'd like to let you all know that you can purchase Winter Moon -- or any of Mindy's other albums (or sheet music, or t-shirts) on her website. In fact, you should send your sweetheart to Mindy's store so you can get the gift of your dreams (check out the Valentine's Day special she's got going on right now).
And now, the winner, according to random.org:
The winner is Steph, who commented:
Congratulations, Steph! Please email your contact information to jennyeckton@gmail.com and I shall mail your CD to you.
Thanks, everyone, for entering, and remember to visit Mindy's site to get your own copy of Winter Moon. We all know you want it.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
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