As talk of the recent Las Vegas mass shooting continues to circulate, there’s one voice that is attempting to speak to parents about the horrific attack so many bore witness to.
Whitney Fleming — author of the Facebook page Playdates on Fridays — has taken it upon herself to tackle the topic of parenting in an age when mass shootings have become an all-too-familiar event.
“There are no safe places anymore, which is every parents’ worst nightmare,” she stated.
She opened her post with the story of 53-year-old Mike McGarry, who shielded his children during the attack, acknowledging the selfless act of love while admitting she will not always be around to shield her own children.
Then, she offered something every parent, and every American, can do today.
“Instead, I will go over — again — what my children should do if they ever encounter gunfire. I will explain to them when they should run, when they should hide, and when they should remain silent. I will prepare them for this world and pray they will never need to use the information.”
Her entire post can be viewed here:
It it, Fleming admits she is “not shocked that the deadliest mass shooting in our country happened last night, and I won’t be shocked when it happens again — because it will.”
However, Fleming did not go over what her political perspective is, or what solutions she would advocate.
“We won’t agree, so nothing will change,” she said, apparently believing that the growing division in the U.S. would prevent any solutions from actually becoming reality.
Yet, many commenters asked for information about what to do during a shooting, to which Fleming responded with her own advice and a link to an article on the subject.
“I have no idea who you are but THIS is beautiful and so so so spot on. Prayers for Vegas and every single soul affected by the event that occurred. I wish and will pray that now more than ever we could just come together as ONE and let our love be stronger than any and all hate in this world,” wrote one commenter.
Fleming added that she will also tell her children “to look for the helpers, because they are always there. I will hope they remember my tips to guide them to safety. And I will encourage them to be kind to everyone they meet, because you never know the heartache they are carrying.
“If only we could clearly see and know how to help those among us that are most damaged inside before they unleash their pain on others,” Fleming wrote.
The post has been shared almost 60,000 times. The roughly 1,700 comments are overwhelmingly supportive.
She concluded her post by trying to remain positive even in the worst situations.
“(W)hen we don’t know what to do … when the world seems to come unhinged, the only thing we can do is try to do good,” Fleming wrote. “Do something — anything — good today. Do it for someone you don’t know. Do it for someone you dislike.”
“Do it for someone because maybe, just maybe, it will stop them from hurting someone else.” (For more from the author of “This Mom’s Message About Vegas Shooting Has Already Been Shared Nearly 60,000 Times” please click HERE)
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