Friday morning, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, gunman Ryan Lanza reportedly killed 26 people of whom 20 were small children. As news of this tragedy spread across the country, parents reacted in shock and sorrow -- crying, hugging their kids a little tighter and even considering homeschooling, for fear that this type of tragedy could happen in their own communities. It seems we’re all shaken up by this horrific event and can’t help but imagine being in the shoes of parents who lost their children, or those whose kids will be forever affected by what they experienced today.

“I feel absolutely awful thinking about those poor families and the terror they must have felt as they raced to school to see if their babies were okay. I am squeezing my daughter tight and covering her in kisses.” -- Vanessa R.

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“News of any harm done to children hits home. Motherhood changes how you look at life, and you suddenly feel the pain that those parents are going through. Keeping them all in our thoughts and very grateful that mine are safe.” -- Sandra G.

“What a scary world we live in where we have to fear sending our babies to elementary school. My heart aches for the parents of those babies and the world.” -- Anastasia B.

“I have lost all faith in humanity.” -- Amanda G.

“I just held my 11-day-old and cried. I’m so anxious for her big sister to get home from school so I can hug her tight as well.” -- Tara M.

“There are no words. I’m speechless. And seriously considering homeschooling my daughter.” -- Hannah L.

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“We are going to homeschool and not look back. I want to wrap my arms around those parents.” -- Mary M.

“It’s every parent’s nightmare.” -- Shelley P.

“My child starts preschool next year, and this makes me second-guess sending her.” -- Amanda V.

“I’m terrified. I don’t know how I will send my daughter to school in a country where this happens far too much. I am a public school teacher, and this makes me want to quit and homeschool my baby.” -- Jenn D.

“My daughter hasn’t left my lap, and I have no intentions of putting her down anytime soon! As a new mama, my heart hurts in ways I’ve never felt before for all those parents!” -- Gina R.

“I’m afraid for my son’s future. As a mother, I want nothing more than to hold him close and keep him safe. We can’t be with our children 24/7, but to know of these types of dangers and evil makes me want nothing but to do just that.” -- Lupe E.

“It’s very sad to hear, and being a new mommy, it hit me on a deeper level. I live in Connecticut, and I never expected anything like this to happen here. Everyone around here is in utter shock, sick and saddened by this tragedy.” -- Christine Y. 

“Having a kindergartner and knowing an entire kindergarten class is unaccounted for breaks my heart! There is such innocence at that age, and I just cannot fathom it!” -- Paige V.

“This broke my heart as an expecting mother -- I am truly scared to bring my baby into this world with such monsters amongst us! Just praying for these babies and their families.” -- Jessica J.

“Don’t forget the survivors whose lives will be forever scarred by this tragedy!” -- Meredith P.

“It breaks my heart and absolutely terrifies me to bring my two girls up in a world like this.” -- Jamie B.

“I can’t stop crying, but I have to because it’s time to pick my kids up from school. How do you explain this?” -- Chasity C.

“Scared. My son is three, just a few short years away from being in school full-time. Things like this are happening more and more, and it’s scary. I can’t even imagine [what it will be like for] the families left in the wake of this.” -- Megan G.

“My heart and prayers are with those families. No child should ever have to feel that kind of fear.” – Shannon B.

“There are no words to truly explain how saddened and devastated I feel. All 600-plus children in that school lost their innocence today.” -- Heather W.

“I pray for all the families affected. My heart is utterly crushed. The most precious things in the world were taken away from their parents. I cannot understand this.” -- Abbie Q.

Photo: AP Images / The Bump

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