What has occurred is horrific. This should never of happened and is devastating.
I know it is hard for us to hear, as childless women, people say :"As a Mother..I am crying. You can never understand". Another kick in the gut. Now we lack empathy. I think even as a non parent, most of us are crying. What about us stepmothers that got close to our stepchildren? We can all agree young children are innocent and precious..our own or not. What about teachers? Principals? This was a horrible tragedy that affected us ALL.
This leads me to an encounter I had.
I know a woman with two young ones. She once told me she purposely sought out teachers that have kids to teach her children and if the teacher does not have kids of their own, she transfers her children to a class that has one.
I found that offensive on two notes.
One, maybe some women under 30 who teach just didn't have kids yet.
Two, being childless does not make you an unsympathetic teacher.
When I was in elementary school , I had a teacher who realized I was being mentally abused. She took me under her wing. I remember our lunches and her praise. I will never forget it. It was important. Yet, she had no kids of her own (yet, she was 28 or 30ish).
How about the teacher that shielded the kids and died herself during this tragedy? She was 27 and had no children of her own YET (I think another didn't either, but not quite sure).
My stepdaughter told me her favorite teacher is childless (by choice; she said her and her husband travel a lot).
I can get why parents say you "don't get it" because they could never "get" my situation. But I always give them the option to try on my shoes just for a while.
