About an hour ago, I learned that there had been a series of shootings downtown. As a result, all schools throughout the city are in one version or another of a lockdown. No student is allowed to leave the school.
I only learned about this because Alex was due to come home at lunchtime and when he didn't show up, I got concerned. I thought there was supposed to be some kind of phone tree/robo dialler activated when schools got put on lockdown (especially since lockdowns are often followed by 'please come pick your kids up right now' calls).
I don't have a problem with the lockdown policy. It's the safest way to keep everyone contained and out of the way while the police concentrate on making sure the bad guys are caught. Life doesn't unfold as neatly as a cop drama and the fewer distractions (and potential targets) the better. That's the intellectual and practical side of me.
On a gut level, about 500 000 years of maternal instinct are telling me to visually/tactilely confirm that my kids are safe and under my protection. But if parents were allowed to come get their kids, there would be mass chaos and it would be a far too tempting target. This is why humans have brains as well as instincts, so that we can make smart decisions instead of relying solely on our gut.
Alex is perfectly happy with the situation. No therapy and he gets to play with his friends at school. Fair deal. I don't know how much Nathan knows, but of the two, he's more likely to be anxious. I'll have to spend some time reassuring him that this is a grownup problem which he doesn't need to worry about.
Right now, my biggest worry (since I don't live downtown) is whether or not the lockdown will be resolved by the end of the school day and whether or not they will be able to provide transport for Alex or if I'll have to come and get him.
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