I've watched the events surrounding the death of UVa student Yeardley Love with real sadness. I still remember the day of the Virginia Tech shootings, where our son was a sophomore at the time. I suspect that there is a deep-seated terror in the pit of every parent's stomach when these stories flash into our world. "What can I do to make this world a little safer for the children I love?" I had trouble sleeping after the VaTech shootings with this playing over and over again in mind.
While I have no stones to throw in these situations, I must admit that I watch them through different eyes now because of two books I have recently read. These books are each insightful, but certainly not in comforting ways. They make one statement from their different perspectives that has kept me awake several nights once again: The world in which our high school and college-aged students are living is dramatically different than the one in which I grew up. So different, that I dare not use my own experience as a resource for understanding theirs. If I do, I will miss their need every time.