Lock Down Drills

The Shift

I never thought I would have to hear my 6-year-old tell me that

“today in school, they practiced lock down drills.”

My first reaction was a gasp, then an exhale.  One deep breath later, I tried to relax.  Yes, I thought, this is something the schools need to do.

I’m glad that my daughter’s school is practicing lock down drills.  I am glad she understands that it is important to pay attention and follow certain rules.  I am happy with how she described the teacher’s explanations about the drills and why they were doing them.  I am NOT glad that we live in a world where innocent people have to worry about dangers like school shootings.  I am not happy that my 5 and 6-year-old children need to learn how important it is to know what to do if they are ever (hopefully NEVER) in a situation where a lock down drill is no longer “just a drill”.

It’s been a few hours since she told me about the drills.  While listening, I made every effort to look calm, but my stomach was twisting and turning.  It killed me to stay positive during our conversation.  As I listened to my little girl explaining the drills, all I could think of was her innocence.  I am happy that she doesn’t understand the severity of what could occur, but at the same time, I want her to.  I want her to have her eyes open to the dangers of this world.  I want for her to know that if anything were to happen at her school, that she has to listen to her teachers, and do EXACTLY as they say.  I want her to do everything she possibly can to stay out of harms way.  There are so many things I wish she understood and at the same time, wish she never had to!

I do know that she is still too young to understand our world, the dangers in it, and why some people do the things they do. For now, I’m happy with the world her mind lives in.  I just wish it was my world too.