My daughter graduated from kindergarten earlier this week, her ceremony taking place the day after some asshole in Texas decided to reenact the star wars kid slaughter scene.
Even though I wanted to just keep her home and skip the ceremony all together, we did it anyway. I think, we will not be intimidated by terrorists. That’s not the whole of it though, I know that happy milestone memories are important anchors against would be devastation and sometimes you just have to work with what you got. So I put on my brave face.
It’s a perfect spring day as we gather on the lawn, a completely different face from earlier in the week. I buy my baby a rose, and cheer with the rest of the parents as the children march out.
The teachers take turns reading a poem about everything you learn in kindergarten including the essentials of cleaning up after yourself to the mortality of all living things, and I’m pretty sure we’re all crying now but the sad tears get a moment for pride as the kids are then called up for their achievement certificates. My kid spotted me almost immediately when she came out and she signs I love you to me from her seat. After she and the others collect their belongings , the kids are released to us for the summer. I take my kid to the Taste of Denmark bakery nearby and we load up on delicious pastries to celebrate.
Meanwhile I keep tabs on the news coming out of Texas, and it’s grim. Law enforcement in tha hallway just waiting for over an hour while the kids are being shot, babies using their friends blood to play dead so the killer will pass them over. I hate this.
In response, DPS passes a multimillion dollar investment towards mental health services and training in schools. While I read , Texas will no longer admit even parents into school buildings unannounced I think to myself well we’ve already been doing that here, our schools lock up tight after a certain time and though this had been a source of frustration to me when I needed to walk to pick up the kid and needed the restroom, I’d rather them be safe than under assault.
My kid likes school , I’ve talked to her about homeschooling without giving her the gorey details, but she wants to continue her campus experience , I understand the value of a good educator to the power of her development and know that she won’t always feel that spark for learning if it comes from just me.
I’ve read that there is a significant amount of data to back a course of action that prevents the loss of life that we’re experiencing daily in our schools, not only in the realm of gun purchase but in schools with psychological support and tutelage, so that when someone feels that impulse towards violence they are better able to navigate their thoughts to walk away from committing the act before it happens.