a small realization

Everyday Lindz brings home her agenda which is just a bound notebook that allows her teacher and us to communicate easily. There is a little spot for her to write something about the day so we know what she did--I'm pretty sure at this point she's just writing what the teacher writes on the board, but its still cool to know. So, yesterday I read, "We had a safety drill" in her mis-shaped little letters. And so I asked her about it, thinking it was like a fire drill. She said that the principal announces something and then they go to the safe place. Me, again thinking along the lines of a tornado drill (which would be weird for MTits not like we live in Kansas), ask her where the place is and she goes on to tell me its always by the drinking fountain in her classroom. Then it hits me....these aren't drills to keep them safe from extreme weather, they are drills for safety, like in the event of a school shooter.

So I ask, "Are these in case there is a bad guy in your school?"

With a innocent twinkle in her eyes, she answers, "Yeah, and if we're in the bathroom we're suppose to stay there, sit on the toilet and hold our feet up next to us". Then she ran back to her room to finish watching the newest Barbie Movie.

I just stood there a little stunned. My little first grader is doing drills at her school in case of a horrible thing and knows that if she were hiding in the bathroom to keep her feet off the ground. It felt unreal to acknowledge that. I guess I'd never thought that all the school shootings that have happened over the years would ever have a personal effect on me or my kids. I think as a mom sometimes I am blissfully unaware of these things and just go around in my own little world. It is not like I'm scared of it happening--the likelyhood here is like nil although sometimes it the small towns that shock you--its just I had never even imagined that they'd even be doing safety drills in preparation of it. Does that make sense? I feel like I've been reminded how different things are for our kids now than they ever were for us. Its kind of disdurbing.

Onto a more encouraging, lighthearted subject, the new Barbie movie is one of the best ones I've seen, and as a mother to two daughters I think I've seen them all. The music is way better than the older ones--its newer sounding (the songs sound like a mix of pop/folk) and the lyrics are applicable to life in general and not just to the movie. The theme about friendship is great and I think its one of the first ones that doesn't end with a wedding. We have it from Netflix right now and might be holding on to it for a couple weeks! :-)