Too close to home

There have been two tragedies in the last week that have hit way too close to home.

In Omaha last week some kid decided life was just too hard and he took out his failures on the people that tried to discipline him (http://www.ketv.com/video/26379767/detail.html). Luckily, that's all he took it out on - whenever you hear "school shooting" it strikes so much fear in a parent. I know it wasn't my kids' school, but my heart goes out to all of the other parents that had to fear their child was injured...or worse. When did it become okay for kids to do this? When they took spankings out of school? I know I had a few spankings at my private schools. Was it when they took God and prayer out of schools? I understand that there are people with other beliefs, but that is why we're such a diverse/well-rounded country. Just because you don't believe in God doesn't mean that I can't - I don't get angry that you believe in whatever you do. It really sucks that someone that cares so much for kids is now removed.

I am proud of my girls though. When they heard about it, they asked lots of questions and couldn't understand why anyone would be THAT stupid. They couldn't understand why someone wouldn't see a way out of their troubles (shouldn't they talk to a teacher? why didn't he talk to his mom?). When I explained that as a teenager, someday they will think they will be in a hole so deep that they won't be able to get out of it. I told them there is always a way - no matter how sad or how much trouble they are in - there's no reason for acting out or commiting suicide. They still didn't understand why anyone would feel that way, but I hope conversations like these will help open the door for when they are going through hard times.

Another "close to home" event was the shooting in Tucson, AZ(http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_db6ef3c9-6656-5c38-a81d-c549a21637dd.html). I grew up there, my parents live very close to this place and my mom almost always goes grocery shopping on Saturday. I didn't hear about it until Sunday (I was out grocery shopping and running errands on Saturday myself), I figured I would have heard something sooner if something had happened to my parents, but I had to call my mom and make sure. It's just so, so sad that some pyscho can change everything in an instant. Where is it safe anymore? My heart goes out to all of the victims and expecially their parents - I can't even imagine losing one of my children so young.

Where have our values and morals gone? When did behavior like this become acceptable? Why aren't any of these people stopped before it gets this bad?

Just know (as I told my girls and contrary to what I said Friday night), there is no hole that is too deep, or a situation so bad that it can't get better. For every low there is a high, even if you're going through a bad time - did you know that generally people "think" they have a pretty happy life? Humans are built to "forget" the bad/painful so that the memories become more dull and the good stands out so much more. So remember, just because you feel like crap today or you're in a bad situation, you'll be okay - it ALWAYS gets better.