I was at church with my children recently. As usual, they couldn’t wait to play with their friends after the service. And as usual, I had to remind them to keep the beach ball in the Sunday school room, to stop running around the fellowship hall, and – no – the sanctuary is not a good place to play volleyball.
When they slammed a door one too many times, my first instinct was to lecture them.
My second instinct was to ask what they were doing, and why all this running, hiding and slamming doors was necessary. Their answer floored me.
They said, “We’re playing intruder! One of us is the intruder, and the others practice running away and hiding.”
I’m a firm believer in play. When children invent games, they’re creating connections with other people. They’re learning and building vital life skills. They’re also addressing their very real fears in a safe way.
I can’t help but be reminded that they face these fears because we adults have failed them.
Our failure to enact commonsense gun laws places the burden of safety on schools and children, instead of on our lawmakers. I’ve been guilty of feeling helpless, of accepting that I can’t make a difference.
Every time my children have nightmares after the annual intruder drill at school. Every time they speculate about a rumored school shooting. Every time they have to invent “the intruder game,” that’s a wake-up call to me. We can and must do better.
