A parent's job is to protect their child no matter what—isn't it? What happens when we are forced to choose between protecting those we love and protecting people from them?
It can feel like betrayal to turn in a family member or friend to the police, but ultimately, a lot of violent crimes have the potential to be stopped before they happen if those who are close to perpetrators are brave enough to speak up.
The mother who chose to only identify herself to The New York Post as 'Nicole' found a manifesto written by her 17-year-old son that detailed plans to commit a mass shooting at his high school.
The manifesto also detailed plans to kill himself "after committing maximum damage."
When she confronted her son, he told her that the writings "were just a story."
The manifesto also seemed to suggest the boy intended to carry out his own rampage in a similar fashion to the infamous shooters.
So she confronted her son about what he had written only to be told that the writings "were just a story."
The teen has since been arrested on harassment and bomb threat charges.
"It’s devastating," Nicole explained. "I know I did all I can do and that I made the right choice."
"He’s plotting to attack and kill people," he told CBS News. "That’s beyond creative writing. That’s beyond normal."
The entries went on to detail how the teen would "blast anyone in sight" and "kill everyone possible."
"She’s very courageous," he explained. "It’s clearly very emotional for her. She loves her son."
Ultimately, however, we have to do what we can live with.
So it's understandable how even the difficult decision to turn one's own family in to authorities would still feel easier to live with than standing at a memorial like this and wondering if they could've prevented a tragedy.
"If you see something, say something," he said. "If something seems off, you're probably right, and you could save a lot of people."
h/t: New York Post, CBS News
