Straight A Student

My friend Ashley asked me a question the other day. "How come when a child dies, that the news writes that the child was a straight A student?" 

In all honesty I didn't have an answer.  I thought about it.  I even said, "what about the students that were killed that had B's and C's. What kind of recognition do they get?"  It started me on a journey to look at how we see the death of a child.  A child that could have grown to be president, an author, a nobel prize winner, a principle, a school teacher, a business owner, a valued employee, or a stay at home parent.

It wasn't the first time I had seen such an article and I definitely don't want to downplay the education of a child that was killed.  I'm more curious about all of the other children that didn't have such accolades.  I have also seen "they were really good in sports." Was this said for the same reason?

 

My question to myself was does this humanize the person?  Does this help to draw attention to the needless death, that this could be 'your' child if your child is a straight A student.   My opinion, and I will restate "MY OPINION" for those in the back.  Is that the news is trying to draw attention to the killings, that this could be any child that you may know, or a child like you put to bed every night.

When a person dies of old age or an older person was killed, they will talk about their family, if they have one.  With children you see how little they have done.  Their lives are just beginning, some of them have never dated, had a boyfriend, gotten to go on sleepovers, or have a slumber party.  A lot of things that we, as adults, take for granted.

In a study published in 2018,  research showed that in 2016 the number one cause of death in children were injury related at 12,336 deaths. Number two was motor vehicle crash with 4,074 deaths, and firearm-related injury (homicide, suicide, unintentional, and undetermined intent) at 3,143 deaths.

How can we change these numbers?  How can we change the narrative of a child so that they have a longer lasting future and not one cut short?  How do we give these children and future children a voice? One where they get to have children and grandchildren of their own.