Tragedy, defined.

Just a few thoughts about this horrific day. It's a tragedy.

trag·e·dy
/ˈtrajidē/
Noun
An event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe.

People lost "loved ones," the news said. "Loved ones," a term people use when a second cousin dies in a car accident. "Loved ones," a beloved grandparent who has lived and loved for a lifetime. "Loved ones," a person who knew what being a "loved one" is. These were CHILDREN. Innocent, precious, no doubt loved, but how can we label these children with a name we use for people who have LIVED a life? Not saying that my views on loved ones consists of old people and second cousins, or that they don't matter, because they do. They are loved, they leave a void. They will be missed. These children were so much more than "loved ones." They were babies. No child should have to hear and see their friends get shot up by some deranged psychopath who has it out for someone who happens to be a teacher.

Bear with me, I'm going here. Call me a liberal, call me a gun hater, call me whatever, stop reading. Fine. But, a gun, by definition,

gun[ guhn ]
noun
1. a weapon consisting of a metal tube, with mechanical attachments, from which projectiles are shot by the force of an explosive; a piece of ordnance.

A weapon, by definition,

weap·on
/ˈwepən/
Noun
A thing designed or used for inflicting bodily harm or physical damage.

Something designed or used for "inflicting bodily harm or physical damage."

They say guns don't kill people, that people kill people. Without a gun, a person would wield a knife, or a bomb, or a fist, or whatever "weapon" they choose. Guns DO kill people. Guns have killed people I have known and loved. A gun killed a four-year-old in Houston last week. He pulled the trigger himself.

So many are so willing to say stop the violence, but these same people say that we have a right to carry these "weapons" with us wherever we go. Sure, maybe if this teacher or another person in that school had carried a "weapon" they could have retaliated and killed that jerk before he could kill so many kids.

As a parent I worry that someday a student might bring a "weapon" into my kids' schools. Now, I worry that a deranged stranger has that opportunity. As a parent, I was relieved to have gotten an email on safety precautions and emergency situations from my daughter's preschool to put my mind at ease about my baby while she's at school.

school
/sko͞ol/
Noun
An institution for educating children.

I want my daughter to be educated. I want her to know that there are wonderful things in this world. I don't want her to HAVE to know that there are bad things and people out there that cause harm for no reason. I don't her to have to know the definition of violence first hand.

vi·o·lence
/ˈvī(ə)ləns/
Noun
Behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.
Strength of emotion or an unpleasant or destructive natural force.

These are things we should be protecting our kids from, and, if you see it fit, educating them on proper use. No child should be left in the dark wondering, is that my friend getting shot? Is that my little sister crying in the next room? Is that my brother that just screamed for help?

End the violence. It's so easy to say, so impossible to implement. Educate yourselves, your children, your spouses, your "loved ones" on what to do in an emergency situation. Report suspicious people. Be suspicious of people who are out of place. Ask questions. Seek knowledge. Be. Smart.

And hug your kids. Let your loved ones know they are loved.