NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tuesday marked three months since the Covenant School shooting, and adjusting back to everyday life has been no easy journey for students and their families.
Elaine Eisinger has a rising fifth grader at The Covenant School and said they are just starting out on a long year of firsts, including the Fourth of July holiday just around the corner.
“Our sense of normalcy has been shaken. My daughter’s confidence in walking into a new space that she’s never occupied, loud noises…I mean, the fireworks that have started to go off…terror,” Eisinger said.
According to Eisinger, she didn’t feel anger until she heard this from a therapist during a group session.
“Something she said that did spark some anger is that your child is cognitively processing this at every stage of their development. They will review this; they will reframe this in a different way,” Eisinger recalled.
Now, Eisinger is working to form an advocacy group with other Covenant parents. Their goal is to spark conversations about gun safety and children.
“We all agree that we want our kids to be safe in public places, whether they’re at school, at church, at a park, anywhere, unifying around that and then highlighting the need for these conversations,” Eisinger said.
The group will strive not to be right or left-leaning, however, she believes tough conversations are necessary.
“It is brave to show up and hold a sign, whether you show up to the state capitol or a protest or a rally, that is brave; we love you for that,” Eisinger said. “What’s braver is having meaningful conversations with someone who’s close to you that may not understand the nuance of what we’re asking for.”
Ninety-two days removed from the Covenant School tragedy, Eisinger said she and other parents are starting to shake the initial shock and hope their voices can work to prevent others from experiencing the pain they have.
“Keep us in your hearts and your prayers. It’s three months later, but myself and other families are still reeling,” Eisinger explained. “Something that I’ve taken away from all of this is I no longer see children as ‘that’s your kid and this is my kid.’ These are our kids; we have a collective responsibility to make this world safer for them.”
Eisinger said she and other parents are still working to form and name their group. They hope to have it more solidified in the near future.
