Every Parent's Nightmare
We were all running with her
I remember the moment as if it just happened.
The alert popped up on my phone: possible gunman inside Redwood High School.
My girls were still in school then.
I remember exactly where I was, what I read, how I felt, and the fear that ripped through me.
This is every parent’s nightmare.
Every parent’s biggest fear.
That you will send your child to school in the morning, and a shooter will walk in, and you’ll never see your child again.
It seems irrational—until it isn’t.
It’s reality.
Even though my kids are grown now, I still feel it in my bones every time I hear about another school shooting. That primal mother’s terror never leaves.
And alongside the fear, there is rage. I was running with that woman … all of us were.
Rage in My Bones
Not at the child who pulled the trigger.
But at a government so paralyzed, so corrupted, that instead of taking action we get distractions, scapegoats, empty rhetoric—and in the meantime, more children die.
And then we hear it again: thoughts and prayers.
I personally know women who have started organizations against gun violence. They are fierce, relentless. But I can’t help but wonder—aren’t they tired?
Aren’t we all tired?
Tired of the same recycled talking points.
Tired of feeling helpless.
Tired of telling our children what to do if a shooter comes into their classroom.
Who Are We Protecting?
The truth is hard to face.
The last several school shooters weren’t immigrants. They weren’t convicted felons. They were young white men—boys, really.
Yes, their mental health was questioned. But who created the conditions that made this possible?
It isn’t only about individuals.
It’s about the systems—our systemically corrupt systems—that continue to fail, decade after decade.
And no matter what parents, teachers, or grassroots movements do, nothing at the policy level changes.
It’s not just heartbreaking.
It’s soul-killing.
The Day I Ran
I’ll never forget the day I ran down the street toward the school.
I stood outside the fence, eyes frantically scanning a sea of children for my daughter.
My heart was pounding.
My brain was scattered.
My nervous system was in overdrive.
No parent should have to go through that.
No child should have to practice lockdown drills as part of their education.
This was 10 years ago …And yet—here we are.... why are we still here?
WTF Are We Doing?
What is wrong with us?
What is wrong with our government?
How many more children need to die before we stop choosing politics over lives?
We’re not helpless though …
Here’s what we can do:
Support organizations like
o Everytown https://www.everytown.org
o Moms Demand Action https://momsdemandaction.org
o Giffords https://giffords.org
o Sandy Hook Promise https://takeaction.sandyhookpromise.org
o Joyce Foundation https://www.joycefdn.org
Register and vote in elections—especially local and state ones that change policy.
Demand candidates who treat children’s safety as a priority—not a talking point.
Because nothing changes until we make it change.
I’m so angry and you should be too.
PC: @Richard Tsong-Taatarii / @rtsongphoto of the Star Tribune