Nowhere to hide

"Mommy, if a stranger comes into our school, I'm supposed to hide over where we hang up our jackets."

I almost coughed out my oatmeal when my daughter, out of nowhere, announced this. What did she mean?

"We practice it at school. We practice what we're supposed to do if a stranger comes in. Is a stranger going to come to my school, mommy?"

Then I remembered something new when I substituted at the high school last week. Along with the standard welcome note and granola bar, the receptionist handed me a little booklet detailing what we were supposed to do in the event that an armed person entered the school building.

I remember drills in school. We had tornado drills where we lined up against the basement walls, fire drills where we filed outside the building and across the street. I also remember a few times in middle school when someone called in a bomb threat and we had to go stand in the athletic field while they searched the building. But we never had stranger drills.

It makes sense for schools to prepare for an event that has devastated other schools in our country. It was also difficult, though, to explain to my 6-year old why it was so important that she know how to hide from a stranger. We had just spent a lovely spring break week frolicking around town, visiting museums, touring a dairy farm, staying up late watching movies. I didn't want to talk about potential violence that could touch her life. I didn't want to even think about violence touching my little girl.

I commend the schools for their preparedness. My heart aches for the teachers who have to execute these drills with the children. The truth is, just by its threat, violence has already touched my little girl's life.

How do you prepare children for potential violence without increasing their anxiety or damaging their tender hearts?