I am so heartbroken. I was working on a post this morning, but I will not post it today. I will observe a weekend of silence as we mourn the loss of these precious children in Connecticut.

A note to all who are angry and upset
I am  beside myself too. But please, before you post something trite or preachy or angry, please think of this. The least hurtful response to tragedy is silence and mourning. It’s okay to be quiet. I understand wanting to lash out (oh do I understand!). But it causes me and other bereaved parents tremendous pain to see other parents living such a nightmare, let alone to see and hear thoughtless comments fired off in the heat of the moment. Tragedies like this rip open my old wounds.

You would never go to a child’s funeral and tell the bereaved parents, ‘Well, I’m so thankful my children are still alive.’ Nor would you go on a rant about whatever caused that child’s death. You mourn the loss. You keep your gratitude for your own children to yourself.

Ranting, accusing, convicting, and advocating for change comes later.

Here’s a helpful article for parents struggling to know how to talk about today’s shooting with their children.