Monday Free Write
I'm really in to true crime stories. In fact on my way to work and back, I have a rotation of true crime podcasts that I listen to. (My Favorite Murder is my favorite and if you like your true crime with a little humor then you should totally check it out). But no matter how many heinous and notorious murders I've heard about, I've never wanted to learn anything about about mass murders. A lot of them take place in schools and there is something about them that makes them feel a little too close to home. I think this has to do that I was so young when Columbine happened, that it just affected me deeper than I thought was possible.And really I was content to leave it there.
And really I was. Until I decided to start reading true crime books and I stumbled upon A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold, the mother of one of the Columbine shooters. I was definitely intrigued because you don't often hear from the family of killers, let alone mothers of mass murders (or not that I've stumbled upon so far). I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the book, but I'm really glad I read it.
In it, she doesn't make light of what her son did. She doesn't blame it on guns or Eric or whatever other theory people have to explain Columbine all away. She gets to the root of the problem with Dylan. He was deeply depressed and she (and her family) missed the signs for so long, that shooting up a school of people was the perfect way for him to not chicken out of taking his own life. It was nothing short of tragedy for everyone. Anyway the main point of the book really is to point out all the little signs that could mean your child is in big trouble. That way you can get your child help before its too late.
I guess I just felt like this book was a little therapeutic for me. It helped me deal with a lot of fear I have. Every shooting gets worse and worse and nobody seems to want to do anything about it. And while this doesn't offer solutions for that, I think the overall thing I took from this is that we all need to pay more attention to people we deal with on daily basis. The early we notice signs of anything, the easier (and better) it will be. (And also we need to get the stigma off of mental illness, but that seems easier said than done).
I guess the point of this is that you should read the book. It gets a little dark at places, but over all its a great read and I'm glad I got a little closure for my school shooting fears.
In it, she doesn't make light of what her son did. She doesn't blame it on guns or Eric or whatever other theory people have to explain Columbine all away. She gets to the root of the problem with Dylan. He was deeply depressed and she (and her family) missed the signs for so long, that shooting up a school of people was the perfect way for him to not chicken out of taking his own life. It was nothing short of tragedy for everyone. Anyway the main point of the book really is to point out all the little signs that could mean your child is in big trouble. That way you can get your child help before its too late.
I guess I just felt like this book was a little therapeutic for me. It helped me deal with a lot of fear I have. Every shooting gets worse and worse and nobody seems to want to do anything about it. And while this doesn't offer solutions for that, I think the overall thing I took from this is that we all need to pay more attention to people we deal with on daily basis. The early we notice signs of anything, the easier (and better) it will be. (And also we need to get the stigma off of mental illness, but that seems easier said than done).
I guess the point of this is that you should read the book. It gets a little dark at places, but over all its a great read and I'm glad I got a little closure for my school shooting fears.
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