When Tanai Benard asked her 10-year-old son if he was taking school safety drills seriously, she was not expecting his reply.
Last week, 17 people were killed and 23 injured after a gunman entered a school in Florida, so the mum was obviously on high alert.
Tanai, as an educator, was worried that the kids wouldn't see the seriousness of drill time and use it as an excuse to mess or bunk off class.
"Have you guys practised a lockdown drill in class yet?" she asked her fifth grader.
He replied saying that, yes, they had practised it.
Let that sink in for a second.
While our little ones are practising fire drills, 10-year-olds in America are learning what to do in case a person walks into their school with a gun.
The idea that our children would not be safe in the one place they spend almost half as much time in as home is frightening.
And Tanai, as a mum, is terrified.
So her questions about lockdown drills are very much important.
However, when she found out what his role would be in the case of an active shooter, she was left horrified.
Why?
Because the youngster had volunteered to push a table against the door while the rest of the class stood behind him.
He was going to be front in line if anyone broke through that door.
Tanai writes:
"Me: Why did you get picked to stand in front of everyone else if a shooter came in your school?
"Dez: I didn't get picked. I volunteered to push the table and protect my friends
"Me:
"Dez: I didn't get picked. I volunteered to push the table and protect my friends
"Me: *immediate nausea * Dez why would you volunteer to do that?
"Dez: If it came down to it I would rather be the one that died protecting my friends then have an entire class die and I be the only one that lived
"Father God, it took everything out of me not to breakdown. I still have a lump in my throat. 10 damn years old and this has to be our babies thought process in America."
And while he is certainly an incredibly brave young boy, the fact that he has to volunteer for this unspeakable job is heartbreaking.
