Parenting in the Time of School Shootings

It’s Wednesday morning, the day after the horrific murder of nineteen schoolchildren and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas. My wife and I are standing outside our six-year-old’s school, willing ourselves to let him go in. We’re checking his mask, repositioning his backpack. I run a finger across the bridge of his nose, tracing its shape. She tucks stray hairs behind his ear. We hug him, a hug that I didn't want to end. He finally squirms away and goes in. There’s a stony silence among the parents left standing outside, each one wrecked at the impossibility of sending our children to school. Each one haunted by the same question: will they come back out?   [View in Browser]( [Esquire]( [SHOP]( EXCLUSIVE [SUBSCRIBE]( [Parenting in the Time of School Shootings]( [Parenting in the Time of School Shootings]( It’s Wednesday morning, the day after the horrific murder of nineteen schoolchildren and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas. My wife and I are standing outside our six-year-old’s school, willing ourselves to let him go in. We’re checking his mask, repositioning his backpack. I run a finger across the bridge of his nose, tracing its shape. She tucks stray hairs behind his ear. We hug him, a hug that I didn't want to end. He finally squirms away and goes in. There’s a stony silence among the parents left standing outside, each one wrecked at the impossibility of sending our children to school. Each one haunted by the same question: will they come back out? [Read More](   [The 20 Black T-Shirts to Stock Up On]( [The 20 Black T-Shirts to Stock Up On]( These are foundations for effortless fits. [Read More]( [30 Pairs of Shorts to Keep You Cool All Summer Long]( [30 Pairs of Shorts to Keep You Cool All Summer Long]( It's hot out there, so you need a pair. [Read More](     [Republicans Want to Talk About Anything Other Than This Country's Insane Addiction to AR-15s]( [Republicans Want to Talk About Anything Other Than This Country's Insane Addiction to AR-15s]( On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee “marked up” a package of gun reforms in the immediate wake of the killing of five people at a Tulsa hospital, and in the slightly more extended wake of the murders in Buffalo and Uvalde. In all three of these atrocity, the weapons of choice included the AR-15. Anyway, this was one of the last times we got to see an ensemble performance of the incredible passel of blowhard and ignorami with which the Republican caucus filled its seats on that important panel. [Read More](   [The 18 Flip-Flops You'll Want to Buy This Summer]( [The 18 Flip-Flops You'll Want to Buy This Summer]( Change is afoot. [Read More]( [10 Essentials to Elevate Your Summer Entertaining]( [10 Essentials to Elevate Your Summer Entertaining]( Polish the look and feel of your next dinner party with one-stop-shopping at The Home Depot. [Read More](     [I Was George Floyd]( [I Was George Floyd]( A new biography, His Name is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and Struggle for Racial Justice, makes clear how easily my life could have been his. [Read More](   [Win an Escape to Old San Juan, Puerto Rico ($1,500 Value)!]( Follow Us [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice/Notice at Collection]( esquire.com ©2022 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019