This Mom Is Going Viral For Teaching Her 7-Year-Old Daughter How To "Play Dead" During A Potential School Shooting, And It's A Heartbreaking Reality

Warning: This article contains details about gun violence.

"Thoughts and prayers" have become the mantra of every school shooting in America, as there have reportedly been at least 50 shootings on college campuses and K–12 schools in 2024 alone. This uniquely American problem has caused parents to take matters into their own hands by preparing their kids for the worst.

Recently, a TikTok user named Eeka McLeod, a single mom of three disabled and neurodivergent children, went viral for posting a video of herself teaching her 7-year-old daughter how to "play dead" in an active shooter situation.

@themcleodfam / Via tiktok.com "This doesn't feel real. Ella is 7. She's in 2nd grade now. She's still learning to read & has the tiniest little lisp 🥹 She loves playing mommy with her baby dolls, would rather be outside caring for her chickens, & still cries for me when she has a nightmare. This doesn't feel real. ELLA IS 7," Eeka wrote in the video's caption.

BuzzFeed reached out to Eeka to discuss her video, which has received over 31 million views and nearly 10,000 comments . "Ella came home from school talking about doing an active shooter drill. She didn't know what it was for or why they were doing it. It was the perfect opportunity to discuss active shooters on a deeper level," Eeka told BuzzFeed.

"She actually laughed when I told her that people come onto school campuses and shoot children. It's clear the idea of something so extreme seemed like a (sick) joke to her. Even at 7 years old, she thought the entire concept of someone doing something so heinous was unbelievable," Eeka explained to BuzzFeed.

"Once I clarified that I was being VERY serious and that she needed to listen to me to ensure that if she was ever in an active shooter situation, she would have the best chance for survival, she stopped and listened."

Eeka told BuzzFeed that she's been running through these survival practices weekly with her three children.

"I have been quizzing them with questions such as, 'Who can you trust?' And they'll respond with 'You.' Or 'Are you allowed to cry even if you're the most scared you've ever been in your life?' And they'll say, 'NO.'"

"We run through various scenarios. We talk about hiding, staying quiet, getting under someone else’s body, putting other people's blood on her, etc. I try to cover all my bases."

Eeka told BuzzFeed she welcomes parents in her comments venting about the scary reality of school shootings. "Parents are just as terrified as their children, and we are too frightened to even discuss our fears. It's good to have a space to be able to process and discuss the unique parenting experience that is being a mom or dad in 2024."

One user shared their experience trying to buy their niece light-up shoes for school: "my niece wanted light-up shoes for school, so we got em. she came home crying because they told her no because if she runs in an emergency the bad guys will see her."

Another parent detailed their experience explaining to their 5-year-old that they shouldn't try to save their brother in the event of a shooting: "but my brother is so loud mom...will he be dead from the bad man," the child responded.

This mom detailed teaching her child to escape through classroom windows.

And this parent taught their kids to lay in someone else's blood while playing dead.

"At certain ages, children do not understand the concept of 'danger,' so starting a discussion like this would be way over their heads," Eeka told BuzzFeed. "But talking about things like safety to avoid getting hurt or lost, etc., can start moving you into the eventual conversation. I think it’s important for parents to approach the subject with their kids when they feel it’s the right time for themselves and their children."

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