Let’s talk about lock downs.
My four grandchildren came home (Thursday) after the Nikiski schools locked down. Why there was a lock down isn’t important.
I asked them if they were frightened during that time. As expected, fear is repressed and in spite of the games they played and the engaging conversations they had, they all said yes, they were afraid. Now I wondered why. Why are my grandchildren frightened during a school lock down?
Fear is natural and has a good purpose. It makes us do the right things to protect ourselves.
But why are my grandchildren frightened during a lock down? Was it from a lack of trust?
I asked, “Didn’t the Troopers show up?” They did, but the kids talked about how the Troopers took away their fathers and mothers and friends they knew. The presence of the Troopers did not alleviate the fear. Too many bad memories.
I asked, “Didn’t you trust the teachers?” They confessed that they didn’t because they never knew what was going on. They were told to be quiet and to not ask questions.
Like all grandfathers, my grandchildren are precious to me. If they are frightened, I want to know why. When I hear that there was no reassurances of their safety by competent, trained adults who earned their trust by their demonstrated ability and I think that my grandchildren are kept in a darkened room (to suggest it is not used) and kept quiet, without knowing why and without knowing that people are there to protect them, I grow very angry.
Angry? Yes! Angry that my grandchildren are placed in a situation where they have no real trust in the adults, in whose care they are.
The solution? Perhaps we need a wider discussion to find the answers. Is there something wrong with the trust issue with Alaska’s Troopers? How about the trust relationships between family members? Are the schools doing enough to train and possibly arm teachers? Do the teachers engender trust and confidence with students?
Can we discuss these issues or are we too afraid ourselves to talk about what is necessary to keep our children safe?
