‘Today we had a lockdown drill,’ my 6-year-old daughter told me. Here’s how this mom reacted

We did lockdown training today.

Those were the first words the freckled, ponytailed 6-year-old Annie said to me when she pulled into her Subaru for pickup.

I felt my stomach drop, but I forced myself to pull it. My brain logically knows this can and should happen in case my worst nightmare happens… like a fire drill. Or earthquake training. Just one more drill, right?

Apparently, my heart and stomach weren’t ready to listen to my slightly daring story, or to see the concern in her green eyes. Instead, I asked Ann to lead the conversation. I remained calm, relatively calm, and positive in appearance while continuing to fight the lump in her throat.

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To celebrate the first day we hit 80 degrees I surprised her with a strawberry slushie (!!!) so we sat down and drank slushie and let her talk I looked her in the eye and rubbed her petite shoulder as she poured it all out. It turns out that she adores her teacher and principal, and is in the middle of that sponge stage, telling her verbatim what she was taught that day.

You have to hide in the safest place where the bad guys won’t find you.

The first time I hid in a corner, the second time some were in the bathroom, and some were behind the teacher’s desk.

I had to keep it as quiet as possible, so at first I was a little scared because I wasn’t sure if it was true.

Six victims (three adults and three children) of the Covenant school shooting were commemorated in Nashville on March 30, 2023. (Fox News Digital’s KR/Mega)

I hate it when my 6 year old daughter has to entertain even the thought of a “bad guy” entering school. I hate that she has to hear that there is a panic button and extra cameras in case bad guys break into the school and “hurt her friends”.

In my beautiful state of Tennessee, tragedy struck near home when armed intruders broke into a Covenant school in the gorgeous part of Nashville where I lived for many years, causing the senseless destruction of adults and children. I hate that I brought death.

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One of the teachers was in the schoolyard with a class and didn’t hesitate when he heard gunshots. She quickly hid her students quietly in the woods, explaining with quick thinking that she was going on a bear hunt.

My thoughts often remind me of that teacher. Because she knows she woke up in the morning, maybe drank coffee, and went to her favorite school to teach her favorite kids. What was in her head when she heard the unimaginable was happening?While she went above and beyond to protect her class, did she pray for her protection? ?

Annie’s prized teacher gave her anxiety-inducing training and brought some lightness. She added that she intends not only to ensure that she jumps in front of the bad guys, but also to “set traps by the window to trick the bad guys.” Their class was the quietest, so they were awarded jelly beans and received high marks from the principal.

When I managed to put a smile on my face, Annie added: Mom, I was a little scared, but I prayed in my head and God heard me.

There are many things I do not understand, and I am sure I do not understand the darkness of this world, but in that moment I realized that my highest mission was and is to remind Annie of this truth. I got

No matter how bad the bad guys are, God is always good.

A police officer comforts a mourner outside the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, Tuesday, March 28, 2023. (Fox News Digital’s KR/Mega)

There are many who prefer to fight rather than love, and who prefer to bring others down rather than build them up. Some people choose to do bad things and get hurt, but I don’t know why. There are many good people in this world, but sadly, some do bad things for reasons we don’t understand.

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I will continue to call and write letters and sign petitions to state representatives until my face turns pale. Raise the wages of educators who have jobs. In a conflict zone masquerading as the United States, she continues to do all she can to avoid raising her two children. I keep crying in the shower and processing all of this with therapy and with other moms over coffee after school drop-off.

But first, comfort and hug your precious 6-year-old. I remind her that God is so much greater than hate and evil and has overcome all with love and light. Let us know, we are doing everything we can to make her world safer. After all, our children are the future. I hope the day will come when they grow up and don’t need lockdown drills.

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