Today is the one year anniversary of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
One year ago, we lost 26 innocent children and 6 adults charged with their education and care during school time.
I remember hearing about the shootings as I worked in my home office. I cried a lot that day and thought of my son at his own elementary school.
I hugged G tight when he got off the school bus that day.
This past year, I’ve thought about how my son’s school would react in such a situation. Could a shooter get into the building? Would the kids be safe? Do the teachers and administrators know what to do in such a situation? Is there a plan?
Robbie and Alissa Parker, who lost their daughter Emilie, 6, had questions too. Questions they never asked.
Today, in honor of those that lost their lives last December 14th, I hope you will watch and share this video produced by Save the Children featuring the Parkers.
The Parkers are passionate about inspiring more people to protect children before a tragedy occurs. As adults, it’s our job to be as prepared as possible.
Here are some helpful resources and a few posts related to Sandy Hook:
- Downloadable disaster checklists for parents and child care professionals (via Save the Children)
- Sandy Hook Parents: Remember Our Faces (a post from Save the Children CEO, Carolyn Miles, on Huffington Post)
- Is Your State Prepared to Save the Children in a Disaster? (published here on 9.12.13)
- Remembering Benjamin with Kindness (published here on 1.19.13 to honor Benjamin Wheeler)
- Just remember… (published here 3 days after the Sandy Hook shootings)
How will you honor those that lost their lives last year at Sandy Hook?
Cathy Chester says
December 14, 2013 at 10:31 amThank you for this important and sobering post, Jennifer. I don’t know what else to say because I, too, am still crying. Bless you.
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anotherjennifer says
December 15, 2013 at 12:24 pmIt’s still hard for me to even think about what happened at Sandy Hook. I just hope we learn something from it.
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Chris Carter says
December 14, 2013 at 10:49 amMy heart is so heavy…. no words. Just prayers….
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anotherjennifer says
December 15, 2013 at 12:25 pmI feel the same way, Chris.
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Ilene says
December 14, 2013 at 10:15 pmThis video was really powerful, Jen. Really, really powerful.
Also, Deb @ Urban Moo Cow had a great post about Sandy Hook and Gun Control today. Deb has been following this and speaking up about this since this day last year. I am leaving you her link and I am going to leave her yours.
http://www.urbanmoocow.com/2013/12/why-gun-sense-is-like-rome
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anotherjennifer says
December 15, 2013 at 12:32 pmThank you for the link, Ilene. I love Deb’s post. We need to keep talking about these tragic events and be more aware to what to do to prevent them and/or be prepared to respond to them if they do happen. I read that the shooting that occurred in Colorado on Friday could have been a lot worse had it not been for a quick response. It saddens me to no end that we are still hearing about school shootings.
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Deb @ Urban Moo Cow says
December 14, 2013 at 10:34 pmThis was a really interesting angle on the whole thing. A way to feel empowered in the face of some situations where we are still powerless because our government has not done enough to protect us and our children. I like their message of remembering their faces, the pain in their faces, not only the names and faces of the children they lost that day. Still crying. Will share tomorrow when more people are likely to see it.
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anotherjennifer says
December 15, 2013 at 2:34 pmThanks, Deb. When tragedies like this occur, I always feel the need to find action steps. I will never understand why these shootings happen, but I hope we can move toward a time when mass shootings are simply in history books.
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Michelle says
December 14, 2013 at 11:05 pmEvery time I think about those families and those children, I cry. I’ll never forget where I was that day when we heard the news. We are a neighboring town and our childrens’ schools went into lockdown as well. My youngest doesn’t like having a police presence because he feels like it could happen at his school. And now Colorado again…in my sister in law’s town. I have a heavy heart right now.
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anotherjennifer says
December 15, 2013 at 2:38 pmi know how you feel, Michelle. I actually lived near Columbine when those shootings happen. I will never forget that day as long as I live. It brings me to tears just thinking about it. And that was before I had kids. G practices lockdown drills in his school. Scary, but necessary these days, I suppose. So sad.
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Nicole @ Work in Sweats Mama says
December 15, 2013 at 9:45 pmAs a Virginia Tech graduate who sat stunned and speechless when a shooter took 32 lives on April 16, 2007, tragedies like Sandy Hook hit close to home. Now that I’m a parent, I can’t imagine going through something like this at my child’s school or university. Thank you for taking time to share and reflect on those lost at Sandy Hook. Together we can continue to honor their lives by spreading a message of love & hope.
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anotherjennifer says
December 16, 2013 at 8:04 amUnfortunately many of these shootings hit close to home. There are simply too many.
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Katie @ Pick Any Two says
December 17, 2013 at 11:00 amMy heart is also heavy. It makes me think about the recent shift in dialogue away from the phrase “gun control” and toward the phrase “gun violence prevention.” Because that’s really what it’s about, right? Preventing these kinds of tragedies in the future. Thank you for sharing.
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anotherjennifer says
December 17, 2013 at 8:44 pmIt is about preventing these tragedies. There’s the gun control issue and also the issue of identifying and helping people who have mental health issues. So much we need to be aware of, in my opinion.
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Amber says
December 17, 2013 at 3:50 pmI always tear up when I remember this. It’s especially hard because I have a six year old and I see those tiny faces and…yeah…tough. 🙁
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anotherjennifer says
December 17, 2013 at 8:47 pmI know. Those kids look just like ours. It’s hard for me to comprehend how heartbreaking it must be for those kids’ parents.
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