Article by mother of Columbine shooter (1 Viewer)

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http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/200911-omag-susan-klebold-columbine

For anyone who has had a teenage son, this article is tough to read. In some of these school shootings I am sure parenting can be to blame. But I have lots of friends with children and it never ceases to amaze me that children in the same family can be so different. If parents have three perfectly adjusted kids and one who is struggling, why is the one so different? Did the parents do a good job with just some of the kids and turned the other into a homicidal shooter?

It might well be that Susan Klebold manipulated the facts in her story to avoid responsibility and make herself a victim. It just rang true to me. She seems like a nice lady whose life is turned even more upside down than the families of the victims. She lost her son too and has to live in shame forever. There are just no winners in this one.

I thought the article was well written. I would like to think if my child was that troubled I would pick up signals better than the Klebolds. Having read the article I do not think I can pass judgment. It was a tragedy for everyone. What would drive a kid to do that? Its scary, you just do not get the sense this was an inherently evil child.
 
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People are often so quick to point the finger of blame. Was this woman and her husband to blame? Were the kid's classmates? Teachers? Someone else? The truth is that some people just aren't wired right from birth. Oddly enough, there are some who excel despite the worst of parenting.

I think it exceedingly rare that any single person is ever entirely to blame for events such as this. It takes a village, indeed, and that sentiment goes both ways.
 
People are often so quick to point the finger of blame. Was this woman and her husband to blame? Were the kid's classmates? Teachers? Someone else? The truth is that some people just aren't wired right from birth. Oddly enough, there are some who excel despite the worst of parenting.

I think it exceedingly rare that any single person is ever entirely to blame for events such as this. It takes a village, indeed, and that sentiment goes both ways.

I blame two people, Eric Harris and Dylon Klebold
 
It would be interesting to get the story from the parents of Eric Harris. It's my understanding that he was the mastermind and ramrod of the whole tragedy. Dylan Klebold was culpable too of course, Harris could not have led him down this particular road if Klebold didn't want to go down it.

I don't remember the source, but I remember reading that Harris was paranoid and "way out there". We'll probably never get the story from Harris' parents, no matter how much time goes by. Can't say that I blame them.
 
People are often so quick to point the finger of blame. Was this woman and her husband to blame? Were the kid's classmates? Teachers? Someone else? The truth is that some people just aren't wired right from birth. Oddly enough, there are some who excel despite the worst of parenting.

I think it exceedingly rare that any single person is ever entirely to blame for events such as this. It takes a village, indeed, and that sentiment goes both ways.

And I thought to a certain extent Mrs Klebold was blaming it on Eric Harris. She was careful and it was very subtle, but it was clear to me she thought Harris was the leader and her son the follower in this deal.

That might be true, I dont know. I just got the feeling she wanted to say that but didnt want to make it seem like she was in denial about her son's responsibility.
 
And I thought to a certain extent Mrs Klebold was blaming it on Eric Harris. She was careful and it was very subtle, but it was clear to me she thought Harris was the leader and her son the follower in this deal.
That might be true, I dont know. I just got the feeling she wanted to say that but didnt want to make it seem like she was in denial about her son's responsibility.

I thought the same thing.. She didnt want to come right out and say it, but she definitely feels that way.. I'd like to know more details about what could lead him to do something like that (other than the "some people just werent born right" theory).. But I guess we'll never know.
 
Sounds like she was (or thought she was) a pretty good parent. I agree that it would be interesting to hear the other parents' story as well.

For as long as I have a say so in the matter I am going to be very cautious about who my kids hang out with. Peer pressure can have a tremendous effect on the decisions that kids and teenagers make and I personally witnessed that growing up. I'm not going to let the same thing happen to my kids if I can help it.
 
And I thought to a certain extent Mrs Klebold was blaming it on Eric Harris. She was careful and it was very subtle, but it was clear to me she thought Harris was the leader and her son the follower in this deal.

That might be true, I dont know. I just got the feeling she wanted to say that but didnt want to make it seem like she was in denial about her son's responsibility.
Having grown up about 10 miles from Columbine (but living in New Orleans when it happened), it is a very delicate subject here. here are my thoughts...

For people who don't read the news or have any individual opinions, the shooting was a result of bullying. The misconception is a double-edged sword. It shows the ignorance of people today and the pathetic assumptions of the media. But it also has been a huge attribution to the success of the program Rachel's Challenge (anti-bullying), something not a lot of people think about.

For people who read the articles, the evidence, etc., the shooting was a freak accident. Harris and Klebold were not bullied, they weren't Trenchcoat Mafia. It was simple. Painfully simple. People want to think that something in this world drove them over the edge and caused them to do it. But in reality, it's just such a disturbing idea that people don't want to come across it. It's a hard thing to describe. Here's my attempt.

Harris and Klebold purely wanted to make a place in history. They had originally planned on killing hundreds in the lunchroom then killing more in the halls. Then while news crews and emergency services gathered in the parking lot their cars would explode killing even more. It was a diabolical plan. A truly brilliant idea if you ask me. It's a shame those minds were wasted. Luckily, their bomb-making was putrid. Instead they ran around the halls killing as many people as possible. Then they got bored and killed themselves. It really is that simple and disturbing.
 
Harris and Klebold purely wanted to make a place in history. They had originally planned on killing hundreds in the lunchroom then killing more in the halls. Then while news crews and emergency services gathered in the parking lot their cars would explode killing even more. It was a diabolical plan. A truly brilliant idea if you ask me. It's a shame those minds were wasted. Luckily, their bomb-making was putrid. Instead they ran around the halls killing as many people as possible. Then they got bored and killed themselves. It really is that simple and disturbing.

even if that is true, you have to be a disturbed individual to carry out the plan

and i doubt "they got bored and killed themselves"

they probably realized the gravity of the situation they created and took the easy way out to avoid responsibility
 
Having grown up about 10 miles from Columbine (but living in New Orleans when it happened), it is a very delicate subject here. here are my thoughts...

For people who don't read the news or have any individual opinions, the shooting was a result of bullying. The misconception is a double-edged sword. It shows the ignorance of people today and the pathetic assumptions of the media. But it also has been a huge attribution to the success of the program Rachel's Challenge (anti-bullying), something not a lot of people think about.

For people who read the articles, the evidence, etc., the shooting was a freak accident. Harris and Klebold were not bullied, they weren't Trenchcoat Mafia. It was simple. Painfully simple. People want to think that something in this world drove them over the edge and caused them to do it. But in reality, it's just such a disturbing idea that people don't want to come across it. It's a hard thing to describe. Here's my attempt.

Harris and Klebold purely wanted to make a place in history. They had originally planned on killing hundreds in the lunchroom then killing more in the halls. Then while news crews and emergency services gathered in the parking lot their cars would explode killing even more. It was a diabolical plan. A truly brilliant idea if you ask me. It's a shame those minds were wasted. Luckily, their bomb-making was putrid. Instead they ran around the halls killing as many people as possible. Then they got bored and killed themselves. It really is that simple and disturbing.

Sorry, but I don't see anything brilliant in what they did or siimplicity in the way they did it. It was a senseless, tragic act which affected and continues to affect many families.
 
Oh, I think she bears some of the blame, as does her son, Harris and Harris parents. There may be many more who may have some culpability in that.

But what I'm alluding to is that it really isn't possible to blame any one person. The whole thing was just dominoes falling - and a great deal of it simply may have been the genetic makeup of the boys themselves. We are all products of both our nature and our nurture. Could someone have seen this coming and headed it off? Possibly. We'll never really know.
 
Oh, I think she bears some of the blame, as does her son, Harris and Harris parents. There may be many more who may have some culpability in that.

But what I'm alluding to is that it really isn't possible to blame any one person. The whole thing was just dominoes falling - and a great deal of it simply may have been the genetic makeup of the boys themselves. We are all products of both our nature and our nurture. Could someone have seen this coming and headed it off? Possibly. We'll never really know.

I agree.

The parents probably have some "culpability" in the abstract sense, since if the kid had any warning signs, they could have seen them.

But, at the end of the day, some people are just born with bad wiring and there really isn't a lot you can do with that.

How many parents think that their angsty teenager kid is really capable of shooting up the school?
 

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