Delayed reaction?

The girls were really not all that impressed with what happened at the high school yesterday, and they hadn’t known what was going on. Outside recess was cancelled, but that happens pretty much every day anyway (don’t get me started on how wimpy the school is when it comes to weather). Lee told them about it when she picked them up for ballet, and one of the girls at ballet had been in the high school when it happened, so it was good we got to them first. But they weren’t upset or anxious, so we kept the discussion minimal for now. Me, I couldn’t sleep.

We had been just about to discuss the Carlie Brucia murder with them, because that one was really upsetting. My older daughter is about to turn 11, and we do want to start to give her some more freedom, ability to go places on her own, etc., but things like this shift us back into protective mode. This one was particularly upsetting to me because the authorities did everything right, moved so quickly, and had much to go on right from the start, and it ended up not making any difference (except that he’s not free to do it again). That was unsettling.