Austin Moms grieve alongside our neighbors in Uvalde, TX as they face the greatest terror any parent can imagine. On May 25, 2022 an eighteen year old armed gunman walked onto Robb Elementary School campus and opened fire. Brutally killing at least 19 children and 2 teachers, marking it the deadliest elementary school shooting since Sandy Hook in 2012.
To the families that lost their precious baby in the shooting, it is difficult to know how to express our hearts right now, probably because there aren’t any words that can piece it all together. We know that what we feel is not what you feel. We caught the wave of the tragic news. You are in the rip current being pulled into a terrible, gut wrenching reality. Without question, you are facing what every parent fears deeply and having to process the unimaginable.
Please know that you are on all of our minds. Our thoughts are spinning as we carry on doing the normal routines with our kids, wondering how you slept last night or how did you get through your morning without the rush to school? We are catching our breath from the shock, but we wonder if you’re breathing much at all. We will offer what we can to support and love you, but even that feels like it falls short. We are all so very sorry. Please know that Austin Moms is here for you.
To the families with the surviving children, we cannot imagine the level of fear and trauma that is running through their little bodies. It’s hard enough for some kids to see a skinned up knee and now this. Seeing a trusted teacher terrified, hearing the sound of gunshots and screaming children, smelling the gun powder and fresh pools of blood and feeling the sheer panic as they hid, hoping not to be next – all of it jarring their entire system. We cannot fully grasp the extent of heaviness that you now carry as you help your children process this, but we can offer assistance with the load. We are here for you too.
To the families of the two teachers Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia, we see you too. We know that those women played an important part in the lives of many – including many of the students at Robb Elementary School. It’s bizarre to think that such a heart centered occupation is considered front line work. No longer do teachers just learn how to educate, they train to protect our children at school. The amount of courage and will to be a teacher in the 21st century is remarkable. From the depths of our heart, we are sorry for the loss of these two brave women.
Grief is not a linear healing, but it is more bearable when others hold you through it. We are here.
Here are some resources to help, in the smallest way, to talk with your children about Robb Elementary School and when horrible–unimaginable–things happen in the world we live.
Helping Children with Tragic Events in the News
Start with Hello: Sandy Hook Promise
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Photo Credit :: UCISD/ Robb Elementary
