Just heard there was a school shooting in Ohio, at least 5 shot.

as I was watching the video of this school shooting, my daughter sent a text to me, informing me not to be worried, she was safe. She is a kindergarten teacher at an inner city school in NE Ohio where we all live. There had been a shooting across the street, at another school, where a 17 year old juvenile male, was shot in the face.

Violence amongst our children has reached profound levels. Its an EXPECTED crisis that schools actually prepare for now. If the violence doesnt happen at school, it happens in the streets. Or worse, it happens at home. To them. By them.

We have laid so much at our children's feet. Half of all children living in America will live in poverty at one point in their lives. With over 50% of marriages failing, structured family life is often only witnessed on old tv shows. Addiction treatment is skyrocketing amongst teenagers, having learned not just use but abuse, from adults, been predisposed because of genetics or simply needing to find sanctuary in self medication. There is an American Tragedy of having it all materially and yet not having a spiritual and emotional core foundation in their primary family unit. Were in not for the American Public School system, most children would not have a skeleton of adults active and truly present in their lives. I am not considering driving your children to baseball practice and dance lessons part of being an active parent. You can pay someone to do that. What kids are missing are things you cant pay anyone for....parents who pay attention to them and respond to the subtle and overt signals kids give on a daily basis about things they cant talk about.

When we think there is nothing to listen to, that all is well and we arent needed as adults in a kid's life, what isnt being heard doesnt fall into a well of silence. It falls into the well of anguish, and it gets louder and bigger and stronger until it becomes a messenger...heralding what needs to be heard, one way or another.

We look at these shootings as abnormalities when in fact, they are not. Like I said, schools now EXPECT these crisis. You can do lockdowns, and put up metal screening methods, and form a list of potential risks in any given school but until we hear these kids, before they reach the point of killing others to be heard, nothing is going to stop this from occurring over and over again..