Parents, How Did You React to Connecticut School Shooting?

Editor's Note: Here are tips on how to talk to your kids about school violence.

Moms Talk is a weekly feature on all Lehigh Valley Patches in which local parents, caregivers and other members of the community are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting topics.

In the wake of a the tragic elementary school shooting on Friday in Newtown, Conn., this week’s Moms Talk question relates to a topic on every parent’s mind right now – the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

After all, countless lives will never be the same after this.

Even here, in the Lehigh Valley, our lives as parents and caregivers will never be the same.

I know mine won’t. I have two kids. I was taking care of my sick older child, who I had picked up from school earlier in the day, when I first learned of the shooting – on Facebook of all places. He’d been sent to the nurse’s office because he wasn’t feeling well, and was battling a pretty high fever. I was in his room trying to sneak in a little bit of work, posting items to the Emmaus Patch Facebook page, while he tossed and turned in a fitful, feverish sleep.

That’s when I first saw the headlines coming out of Connecticut.

I left his room to read the “full story” and it didn’t take more than a sentence or two before I started to cry, something I cannot remember ever happening to me upon reading a news story. My first instinct was to rush to the elementary school and pick up my “baby.” I am sure that I am not the only parent who felt this way.

Which brings us to this week’s Moms Talk question:

What was your first instinct as a parent, after learning about the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut? Did you follow through on that instinct?

Our Moms Council members include: 

• Lisa Amey of Upper Milford Township is a stay-at-home mother of two. A past president of the MOMS Club of Emmaus and longtime member of MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers), Lisa is an Independent Consultant for Arbonne International. 
• Lisa Drew of Emmaus is a certified nutritionist and personal trainer, wellness and fitness coach with more than 17 years of experience. She is the mother of a 13-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy.
• Jennifer Elston of Emmaus has almost two decades of professional experience in child development and counseling. She is currently a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful girls. Together with her husband, Chris, she owns Christopher Elston Photography.
• Jeanne Lombardo of Nazareth is the mother of a 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. She’s new to the Lehigh Valley, having moved to Nazareth from Bergen County, NJ in January.
• Lisa Merk of Lower Macungie is a stay-at-home mother of four boys – a 12-year-old and 6-year-old triplets. Lisa is a past president of the MOMS Club of Lower Macungie East. In her “spare” time, Lisa teaches piano to school-age children.
• Zoila Bonilla Paul of Bethlehem is a stay-at-home mom to two girls – a 5-year-old and a 14-month-old. Zoila is a member of her local “moms’ club” and says she is “well-versed in the fun that children can bring.”
• Beth Sharpless of Emmaus works part time in a local emergency department as a nurse and part time from home as a customer support specialist. She has two children -- a boy who is 3 and a 6-year-old girl. She says they love spending time outdoors and dancing.

If you would like to become a part of the Moms Council and/or have ideas for future Moms Talk questions, please email jennifer.marangos@patch.com.