Daily Times

Sir: Everyday starts with a regular routine. Wake up, wake kids up and get ready for school. Day in, day out the same routine, until terror strikes! The recent events in Pakistan for the past 11 days have done nothing but shake and stir our emotions as a society. What can one do? Where can we run, where can we hide? Do we go out or do we stay in?

I work in a school in Lahore and for me when these terror attacks take place, I just get a sick, stomach churning feeling that just numbs me to the very core. As a parent, I want to share my feelings with each and every one of those mothers who drop their kids off every morning.

Since APS, as parents we just shudder at the thought of anything ever happening to our loved ones, especially our children. After home, school is the one place that we feel comfortable with sending our kids too. We put our upmost trust in institutes to take care of our beloved children. But then, terror strikes again. The feeling of helplessness overcomes us as parents. We do not know what to do. Do we acknowledge every single message we receive via social media about threats, or do we just brush them under the carpet and carry on with our normal routines.

Today, I experienced the fear of terror! Working in an institute my first priority was the safety of my kids there. The young, innocent kids, blissfully unaware of what had happened played joyously in the play ground. At the time I was preparing for class when I heard the blast and felt its impact as the floor shook and windows shuddered within a split second. I cannot express the feelings I had at the time. I felt helpless and scared. Then the chaos started. Children one by one were being picked up as parents heard the news. It was only until kids started flocking out of the classes that these innocent children started to realise that something was not right.

What is the solution? How long can we keep our kids at home trying to protect them? Do we home school them? Is this what it has come to? It saddens me to think of the environment that our kids are being brought up in, what harsh realities they are facing. It is just sad. What is the future of our young ones when we can’t even send them to school.

NADIA SAEED

Lahore