but momma they're kids just like me.....

When Cookie, Sweetheart, Fifi and Bam came home from school on Friday they had already heard about what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary school via the teachers,  smart phones, and from other students. This was the buzz...

They were sad for the murdered children and teachers from Connecticut.

It was true, I told them.

We talked about it the horrible, terribly awful thing that happened in Newtown, Connecticut.
Cookie and Sweetheart said, "But Momma, they're kids just like me. Why did he do that to kids??"

My heart tore...

I had to try to explain mental illness to my elementary school, middle school and high schooler...... People who suffer from mental illnesses have moments when they do not think like you or me. There is something in their brain that does not allow them to comprehend reality, common sense,or humanity; there is often a blurred definition of good or bad to them. Sometimes they know they suffer from mental illness and sometimes they don't know...

It's ALL so hard to explain.
The heart break is real.
Even though we're over 2,000 mi away, it still doesn't make it any easier to tell a child.

We hug, we shed a tear and we say a prayer...