Did The UNLV Shooting Change My Mind About Sending My Son There?

Being a mom comes with daily worries you can't escape. As your child grows up and begins adulthood, the worries don't go away; they just shift.

My youngest son, who's about to turn 18, will be attending the University of Nevada - Las Vegas next fall. When I heard about the shooting that happened on campus on Wednesday afternoon, my heart sank, even though he's not there yet. And then the questions started - will this tragic event change our plans to relocate to Las Vegas so my son can attend his dream school?

First off, my condolences go out to everyone affected by the tragic events that occurred on campus on Wednesday afternoon.

It's terrifying to hear about shootings when you are far removed from the situation, but it becomes a little more real when you have some kind of attachment to it. While my son is not at college yet, we are actively planning for the day we move to Vegas from Pennsylvania so he can attend the school he's wanted to attend since he was a young child. (And yes, I am also moving because I'm ready to start a new chapter as well.)

We talk about UNLV daily, as well as keep up with all the things that are going on currently on campus. It's part of our family's daily lives now.

Shortly after news broke of an active shooter on campus and fatalities, everyone started reaching out to me. I didn't have my phone or computer near me for about an hour when I picked up my phone and saw that seven different people had texted me. I missed two calls and had multiple Facebook messages.

I took a deep breath. I don't get that many messages in a week. So, in an hour, my brain immediately went to a dark place.

The first text said in all caps: "UNLV HAS AN ACTIVE SHOOTER." I realized that's likely what all the other messages are about, so I took a deep breath before opening any others. While everyone knows my son is not there yet, all our friends have been hearing about UNLV since last summer so we were the first people they thought of.

Then a flood of "does this change your plans" or "are you going to find him another school" began. And that's when I had a moment of clarity - we can't hide from these tragic events. We can't outsmart them by going somewhere else. Sadly, over the past few years alone, there have been multiple shootings in not only schools, but also grocery stores, festivals, concerts, theaters, and pretty much anywhere large groups of people may gather.

Is the answer that we all stop going to the grocery store or movie theater after hearing about a shooting? So the answer to the questions about our plans to relocate to Vegas is simply, "No." Nothing is changing.

I've found it really sad that, over the years, children of all ages have had to learn emergency drills in school, other than fire drills. One that they've been taught is what to do if there's an active shooter. While it's a necessary step in today's day and age, it really makes me sad that this is how it is. And I know I'm far from alone. Parents of kids of any age probably agree that this is such a scary part of parenting now.

So to the parents who are in the same boat as I am: I see you. Parenting is hard and all these tragic events just make it harder.

I occasionally work as a substitute teacher at my son's high school and one of the first times I worked at the school, they went on lockdown. I had a mini silent panic attack thinking what was going on. The kids were calm and literally unfazed by what was happening. They calmly did what they were taught to do to stay safe and no one panicked. While it's a good thing that they were calm, cool, and collected, it really made me sad because this is their norm now.

So, as my son goes off to college, I'm sure he will keep all that he's learned about being safe in mind. For my own peace of mind, I'll be sure to consistently remind him to stay alert no matter where he is and to check in with me often.

I don't want his college experience (and this would go for any school he chose to go to, not just UNLV) to be stressful because he's worried that something bad will happen. This is his time to shine, to learn more about himself and the career he chose (which, by the way, is journalism!), and really enjoy the years leading up to being a full-fledged adult with responsibilities.

Seeing how UNLV handled this unfortunate and unexpected situation does put my mind more at ease. The way they communicated with parents, students, and social media followers was comforting. So, it's full steam ahead - Vegas here we come!

#UNLVStrong #VegasStrong!