[kasjordan]

There are just no words.
There will be many, many kids hugged tonight. Prayers for the ones that can't be.

[Paige777]

Thank you, mods.

I never, ever cry at the news. Never have before (I'm 26). I don't have TV, but in just reading the reports online, I've cried 4 times today so far.

I cannot fathom it at all.

[SmartAlex]

Get back from running errands to find this tragic news.

[spotteddrafter]

Thanks Mod 1.

My heart is breaking for the families and children in that area. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain they must be in. As mother of a second grade child, this hits a little too close to home.

[jess h]

Thank you, mods. I'm in CT and have been glued to the news. Just came over here to COTH, needing a respite, and am grateful for the OT forum.

[BigBayHanoMare]

Thinking of all those empty beds at Christmas. Candle lit, prayer said for all the families and children.

I didn't even think of that. My heart breaks even more now.

[IdahoRider]

Heartsick. My thoughts go out to the families and friends of those who have been lost, to the students and faculty of the school, their families and to the first responders who walked into a scene of unimaginable heartbreak.

What a senseless, senseless tragedy.
Sheilah

[EquineLVR]

Thanks Mod 1.

My heart is breaking for the families and children in that area. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain they must be in. As mother of a second grade child, this hits a little too close to home.

I have a first grader and a fourth grader so it does hit too close to home for me too..

[shiningwizard255]

Holy cow. This is the first I have heard about this. What a crying shame. Crazy world we live in anymore.

[spotteddrafter]

Thinking of all those empty beds at Christmas. Candle lit, prayer said for all the families and children.

Oh my gosh.

[pompeiii]

I just can't process any of this right now. We're talking about an elementary school, kindergarteners... I'm saddened and horrified about all of this. When I first heard this morning, things sounded "hopeful" with 3 people taken away by ambulance... I come back a couple hours later and suddenly were talking about 26-27 people dead, 18 children...

Thoughts are with the families of everyone involved.

[spacytracy]

Thank you Mod 1.

When people say that kids are bubble-wrapped these days, scary stuff like this is why.

Makes you scared to send your children to school.

[AirForceWife]

I can't even imagine this. My son is only 2 now and we were thinking about having our second...it seems we can't be safe anywhere now, makes me reconsider bringing another child to this world...

[RolyPolyPony]

Thank you, mods. My friend's daughters go to the school - they're ok, thank God. But this is all so hard to process and I'm pretty much alone here at work. I needed this thread.

[Event4Life]

http://www.pbs.org/parents/talkingwi...s/talking.html this came up on facebook and I thought it might help people with kids wondering how to approach them with or answer questions about stuff like this. I've just scanned it, but it has some helpful points for me too (as a hopeful future middle school teacher).

[shiningwizard255]

Thank you, mods. My friend's daughters go to the school - they're ok, thank God. But this is all so hard to process and I'm pretty much alone here at work. I needed this thread.

Wow - sorry they had to go through that and so glad they are ok.

[m&m]

Thank you, Moderator.

It is truly impossible to even begin to fathom the "Why?" No matter how sick and deranged someone may be, where, where, where is the "appeal" in this? There are easier ways to commit suicide by cop, that don't involve innocents.

My prayers, as insufficient as they are, are with all those impacted. I cannot even imagine trying to raise a happy, confident child if it was one of the survivors of this horror.

[dbtoo]

Thank you mods. I just knew COTH would be there for us.

And there really really are no words.

[bludejavu]

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to talk here today Mods. Hugs to you too and anyone who needs one. My first reaction was to feel sick, then I felt rage at who did this. After following and reading news reports for a few hours, I've decided rage is a waste of time and only rewarding to the perpetrators who committed this unspeakable crime. So I'm going to finish my day saying prayers for those who have lost their children and family members.

I also just read that this was an attack on the shooter's mother who was a teacher in one of the kindergarten classes. He killed her and many of the children too. What kind of anger does this to someone? I hope to never know that kind of anger either personally or from someone I know.

[monstrpony]

I just feel empty. Cannot get my mind around this.