I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

No, of course they didn't Mary. I would never suggest that the mother brought this on herself somehow - that couldn't be further from my mind - yikes - I hope it wasn't read that way! You may have misunderstood me. But it was indelicate of her to call attention to her plight --bring it to our doorstep-- over the dead bodies of others, IMO. It struck me as self-serving and opportunistic. At any other time, ok. But it also seemed blind to the fact that other mothers and other mentally ill children could be amongst the victims and the mourners. And that one of the victims, the shooter's mother, deserves to rest in peace without having some blogger try to create and then don some sort of a mantra.

ETA: I'm surprised no one else sees this. It struck me immediately. No one is blaming anyone for the desease of another. (Confused)

Mary - hope you read my response, just above.

HL - I'm not giving up.  I call it the hamburger to cat food price index.  It assumes you will seek alternatives when you can no longer afford the original.  SS is not the problem, not even part of the Sequestration.  Once again, it becomes the villain.  My brother sent me this WH petition

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-no-cuts-social-security/xqsFsqLP

This one is going to hurt so many people.

Good morning from the snowy Rockies! Finally! I have nowhere to go today, so I'm enjoying the day at home. I'll do Pilates, read, maybe make some jewelry...got the birdfeeder full so the kitties are being entertained by the activity out the window.

Now to read the NYTimes and get caught up on the latest on the fiscal whatever...cannot bear to read another word about the CT shooting. My stepdaughter is a teacher in a small community and my grandkids are a little older, but still more vulnerable than I can wrap my head around...

Mary, you said:

it sounded like you were saying the rest of us don't need to worry about it-that it's her problem. It's everyone's problem, whether they have children or not.

Mary

Thanks for clarifying - oh, I could not agree with you more. No, no, I never meant to say it wasn't our problem. You'll never hear than come out of me, for more reasons than I can mention. A mentally ill child is a public health, public policy, education and economic problem that affects far more than mother and child. I have spoken to and helped too many mothers to count. What they have in common is the lack of help and understanding from the very places they need the  most: the school and frequently the healthcare profession. They even face blame and ostracism from friends and family who BLAME THEM or deny the illness and often say "you child just needs some discipline." Frequently the mother, too, may be mentally ill or have a developmental problem. This makes advocating for her own child extra difficult. Oftentimes the father will not help, or understand what is going on - in many cases because he is not the chief caretaker.

This is a tragedy and it causes significant wear and tear on entire families. People are much more sympathetic to disabilities that you can see than to these "invisible" ones. It's heartbreaking to hear these mothers sometimes, because they internalize feelings of guilt that they shouldn't be having. They end up needing loads of help for themselves.

Me to blogger: Just don't go around saying you identify with a mass murderer's mother (who, may she rest in peace, you never met). Because many of these mentally ill kids are NOT violent but they deserve every bit as much publicity and compassion.

Oh great...

A Virginia legislator says he will introduce a bill mandating teachers or other school personnel to carry concealed weapons, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

The proposal from state Sen. Robert G. Marshall (R) comes in response to last week's mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. Wenzel J. Cummings, the state lawyer charged with drafting the legislation, originally questioned whether the legislature has the authority to require teachers to carry weapons to school rather than authorizing them do so.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/virginia-lawmaker-says-he-will-propose-bill-requiring

Athena ... I took the blog title and that mother as jumping in to defend Nancy Lanza from those out there who are saying that it was all her fault. That she was coming out about her own situation to try to show people that it was not as simple as it might look from the outside for these parents to 'prevent' their kids from doing these horrible things. I thought it was a good thing for her to do since Ms. Lanza is not alive to defend herself. It's all about perception for sure.

Wabbit - Interesting interpretation. Yes, that is certainly possible.

JEALOUS of snow too!

Alexandria

That is sooo good. I want a copy of he novel.

I want to speak as the mom of 7 kids, 3 diagnosed with ADHD (and let's just say the other 4 are just very active) and two sons who have been diagnosed with depression or bipolar illness (the diagnosis has changed over the years but they don't get manic). One son has been hospitalized after an outburst at work. The other gets counseling online now because he has no insurance and a crappy job and can't get help. (Yes it should be available but there are waiting lists for free or low cost care.)

While I do believe we need to ban assualt rifles, I also think that we need to care for people with mental health issues. I also believe that the mom who wrote the blog was just coming to the defense of another mother.

Oh and Athena, I did have the orgasm and it was worth the consequences.

I hope I can give my kids the support they need. I have dealt with violent teens, but I don't know if there was more violence in our house than in any house with 5 boys. My heart goes out to any mom who is afraid of her kid.

Ah - the gray one....<3

The gray one. Good.

Oh, it IS the sweet little fossil. Can't wait for another picture....