Back to school time is upon us, and while it’s generally seen as a positive time (especially for parents who have been cooped up with their kids all summer!), it’s also a stressful one. Given the high number of mass school shootings, the worry of danger is ever-present, and one mom’s recent TikTok video of her showing her son how to use a bulletproof backpack proved just how sad the reality of being a young kid is these days.
@thewaltonfamily1 Happy back to school season…. #foryoupage #backtoschool #foryou #needschange #PostitAffirmations #momiktok
- Cassie Walton wants her son to stay safe. In the now-viral clip, Walton can be seen showing her 5-year-old son, who’s headed off to kindergarten, what to do in case of an active school shooter.
- She’s trying to be a responsible parent. As much as we might wish that using a bulletproof backpack and practicing how to hide from a gunman wasn’t reality, the sad truth is that it’s entirely possible her son may have to use those skills one day.
- Cassie’s son has taken the lessons in stride. In the clip, Cassie asks her son what to do if a teacher tells everyone to hide. “Get in the corner and be really quiet and still,” he says. They then practice using the bulletproof backpack and Cassie asks what he should do if a teacher tells him not to worry about getting his backpack. “I say, ‘No, I need it. It’s bulletproof,'” he smartly responds.
- This is any mom’s worst nightmare. Talking to CBS News, Cassie admitted it’s hard to keep it together when having to give her son such awful lessons. She said she was “pushing back all of the tears to try to get all of that out.” She added that while her son is smart, he still thinks he can “karate chop” bad guys and she wants him to understand the seriousness of the situation.
- Cassie wishes a bulletproof backpack wasn’t a necessity. “I wish that it wasn’t necessary, and I wish we could come up with a better solution,” she said. Don’t we all?
