I took this picture of my sweet boy at 4:30 this morning. He had woken up around 1:30 and came downstairs to find me asleep on the couch (hello, third trimester). He’s too heavy for me to carry back upstairs so we snuggled on the couch until he fell back asleep.
After I snapped this picture, I opened up my phone and read about the tragedy in Dayton. It’s always horrific to read about senseless violence and tragedies, but this one hit close to home. I spent 4 years at UD while getting my undergrad degree. My brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and niece all live in the Dayton area.
We need to change a lot in this country to make it safer and it’s not a one solution fix: gun reform, greater access to mental health resources for all, and teaching kids how to manage their emotions so that they grow up to be adults who manage their emotions are just some things that come to mind. It’s hard to not feel helpless, as many of these initiatives need to be taken and ultimately decided on by the state and federal government. It’s frustrating when people can’t or won’t make the changes that are so desperately needed, even when research and statistics show otherwise.
Here’s what we CAN do though. We need to start realizing in this country that words have power and once you say something, you can never get it back. We need to stop being angry all of the time and yelling at each other. We need to stop making blanket judgments about huge populations of people based on where they were born, how they worship, who they love, how they look, their socio-economic status, their abilities, etc. I tell my preschoolers and my own children that you are free to make your own choices, but you are not free from the consequences of those choices. The same can be said for words. We have freedom of speech, but you are not free from the consequences of your words, the weight they carry or the impact they have on others.
Kids do not come into this world with hate and judgement. Those are things that are TAUGHT. Kids hear and see everything, even when you think they aren’t paying attention. The way you CHOOSE to handle a situation or speak about a situation, is teaching all of the children in your life, not just your own, how to handle similar situations. If we want to make a change, while we are waiting for those who can do something to actually do it, we can start by choosing words of kindness and compassion, leaving hate and judgement out of our households and everyday language. It’s the least we can do for our children to teach them how to grow up with empathy, understanding, and compassion for others. Do a random act of kindness today. Be a little more patient. Inspire the kids (and adults) in your life to do better by being better.
Saying prayers today for all of the victims and their families. I will also be praying that my boys and husband will never be in a place where something like this happens, as well as our family, friends, co-workers, and everyone else we know. And I will be continuing, as always, to pray that something like this won’t ever happen again.
The Purposeful Classroom 