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Contributors
Barbara F. Meltz writes the Globe's Child Caring column. She is author of "Put Yourself in Their Shoes, Understanding How Your Children See the World," and a frequent speaker to parent groups. Join her chat on the first and third Monday of the month at noon.
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« A new dimension for mother-daughter relationships | Main | Children's Well-Being Index at a standstill » Monday, April 16, 2007Unspeakable tragedy in VirginiaAt an early age, we teach them "hot" so they don't burn their hands on the stove. We make sure they wear bike helmets, and shin pads and mouth guards. We teach them about stranger danger and safe sex and designated drivers. We hope, we pray, that they listen. By the time we send them off to college, we tell each other not to sweat the small things: whether they are sleeping too little or eating too much. It's time to let go. We worry anyway. Because we are wired this way? Because it's what our parents did for us? Because we love them so very much? It's all of that, of course, but I suspect it's something more, too: It's because we know life is, after all, not much more than a crap-shoot. Safety at any given time is a relative concept, including even the safe cocoon we imagine college life to be. Our hearts go out to the parents and families of the students who were killed earlier today at Virginia Tech. The death toll continues to rise. Even as I was writing this, my college-son called to tell me what classes he had signed up for for next year. I treasured the sound of his voice more than usual. Posted by Barbara Meltz at 02:51 PM
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