A few thoughts…
I started PokerCub’s blog this week. The address is in my signature below.
Second, the most recent blog post will address this also, but today’s big news struck close to home - literally. I haven’t slept since 1am when it all went down, and am taking the opportunity to glean any meaning I can out of this.
Thanks!
So scary, hard to believe that happened so close to you. As kids get older there are even more frightening things. Like the rampant drug use and early sexualization of children. I am an OB/Gyn and I routinely see sexually active 13/14 year olds with STDs/pregnancy. That is one of the reasons we are homeschooling our children I feel like I need to protect and guide them until they can make mature decisions on their own and protect them from making bad decisions in their youth with lifelong consequences.
Preteen and teen years worry me too. Also a reason why we plan to homeschool.
When I was having my csection my OB was talking about the youngest mothers he had delivered for. There were 2 of them. Both 12 years old. Got pregnant on their first cycle.
I’ve been hearing the story all over the news today. So sorry this is so close to your home. I think the individual responsible has some sort of mental illness. It was reported that he left school about a month ago where he was a PhD student.
I am so sorry PokerDad. It is all over the news here to. Just be grateful that you and your wife will do a marvellous job raising PokerCub and he will not grow up to be like that man. It is horrible when you live that close to something makes you want to bar up your own house. I am sure you will raise PokerCub to be an outstanding, contributing citizen and if you are that worried you can always move to Australia. We would love to have you here.
Thank you for your insights. It’s appreciated.
We focus on the good so much that we just don’t want to focus on anything bad - until something like this happens right around the corner and it stares you in the face.
The guy that did this was a student at the UCH neuroscience division. PokerCub’s grandfather is an instructor there (but not in neuroscience) and his grandmother works at UCH also. PokerCub was born at UCH. Grandpa’s research building was shut down yesterday while the bomb sniffing K9 unit checked it out. Grandpa said he saw the dogs. The shooter’s house is being carefully evaluated; it too is effectively around the corner from us and right across the street from UCH. I guess we’ll learn more about why and how this all happened… but in the meantime, I appreciate thoughts on my wife’s question “How will we raise him in a world like this?” - she didn’t want to nurse him by herself last night and was having a lot of fear in general. That’s no way to live. Eventually we’ll have to teach PokerCub about the dark side of life - but we have a lot of time before that day.
As to the early sex problems. I know about this problem FIRST HAND. I didn’t have the best childhood and will just say that in my particular case, waiting until 2nd grade to discuss some topics was too late. I do think my situation was aberrant and isn’t the norm. My wife has always been horrified when I tell things from my childhood. Perhaps that’s one reason I’m here and making sure I do what I can to equip our child the best way that we can.
I have a feeling that I will be in favor of homeschooling and I know that my wife is ardently opposed to it. It’s a discussion we can have in a few years, though, and I think that early learning will hopefully put us on a track to even have the discussion. If the discussion were right now, it would be a non-starter and I’d lose without finishing my first sentence! 
PokerDad,
If I knew a way to ease the fears of the actual world we live in… I understand your wife’s fear and not wanting to be alone with PokerCub (love the nickname 
) especially with this horrific event happening in your neighborhood.
As much as I would love to ignore the problems I want my son to understand all the different types of people good, bad and everything in between. So he can be prepared to understand and handle any given situation. So many times I have asked my father why he wants to help save this world (environmentally by cleaning our land, air and water I call it nature’s LAW) and he looks at my son and tells me that the human race has come so far and still has so much more to accomplish. Not to get saddened by the news but to be aware of what could happen, be prepared and to push forward. Years ago he recommended I sign up to recieve daily emails from happynews.com
I hope you will to because the world we live in can be just as good as it can be bad.