My turn ….

Now that my little family is all tucked in, it is my turn to fall apart.

My heart just aches for all those innocent little babies.

Everyone, including myself keeps asking How? Why?

People are blaming guns.

People are blaming mental illness.

People are blaming anything else they can blame.

Which is typical of our society. We are always quick to blame anyone else but ourselves.

Me personally, I blame the parents.

"Evil" is not born.

"Evil" is learned, evil is taught.

We teach our children to hate; to be angry; to harbor malice; to be violent.

"Now hang on Sassy, I do not teach my child these things."

Neither do I. Especially when I get angry at the stupid jackass who cuts me off in traffic in which I then flip him/her the bird and/or yell out, "Hope you fuckin’ wreck asswipe!" all while my child is sitting in the back seat.

We don’t always realize that we teach our children these things but we do.

This "evil" person today was not a robot. He was not bred in some secret underground laboratory. He was born, from his mother’s womb. She nurtured him; she loved him. Supposedly she taught him right from wrong. As any other mother does for her child(ren).

Why did she have all those guns registered in her name? I can understand one gun. Maybe 2. But why in heaven would she, a mother, a kindergarten teacher need so many guns and rifles? From what I can understand, she didn’t live in a high crime area, that she didn’t fear for her life each day at school. I could be wrong. But I just find it baffling.

What did she teach her sons? Did she teach them love? Not only to love thy neighbor, but also to love them self? Did she teach them peace? Joy? Patience? Understanding?

Apparently not. Because actions speak louder than words. What did she teach her son, that would make him want to kill his mother?

People are screaming "Mental Illness!!!" What a convenient excuse. I’m sorry but I get so sick of people using mental illness as a reason to excuse someone’s behavior. In some cases, yes, it is not an excuse, but most of the cases the person had a choice, made the wrong choice and refused to accept responsibility for his or her own actions.

Because Mommy and Daddy excused their behavior as a kid.

"Why did you break that lamp?"

"I don’t know."

"Why did you break that lamp?"

"Because I felt like it."

"Oh, well don’t do that again."

Or my favorite ….

"Can I have a Facebook page?"

"I don’t know. You have to be 13 and you are only 9."

"But all my friends have one!"

"Well, ok then. We’ll just have to lie and change your birth date when we sign you up but that is ok. You see little Johnny, even though there are rules, and guidelines, it is okay to break them, or to bend them to where they are convenient for us. Not every law is meant to be obeyed. As long as we don’t get caught. But just remember that I have to have your password so that I can monitor your Facebook page."

Even though you may never say those words out loud, that is what you are TEACHING your child with your ACTIONS.

On Facebook I have had to read "Thank God I home school my child(ren)! They are safe and they will never have to live in fear like those children in CT had to do today!"

Ok, so are you going to keep them from the mall for the rest of their lives? Or never allow them to go to a movie theater? Oh, and because a place of worship isn’t safe either, let’s just keep them from going there also. And yeah, let’s never go into a bank either, or a grocery store, or gas station. And for Pete’s sake, do NOT become a public official because you can get shot giving a speech in a parking lot or riding in the back of a car in a parade or even viewing an opera!

Let’s stop TEACHING our children to hate and to fear.

Let’s stop encouraging the media to sensationalize these killings.

Let’s stop blaming others and start accepting responsibility for our own actions.

Let’s stop allowing "supposed" mental illness as a viable excuse.

Instead …

Let’s TEACH our children to love and to respect.

Maybe then all the senseless killings will stop.