When my boys were young, they’d often ask questions for which I had to scramble for an answer. For instance, how a car works. When my 4-year-old son asked the question, I thought about telling him something up that would give him a general idea about internal combustion, but I changed my mind.

  “Magic,” I told him, and he was satisfied.

  During a scary thunderstorm, my sons asked what caused thunder.

  “It’s the angels bowling,” I said. They looked dubious.

  “Well that’s what my mom said,” I told them, and they were satisfied.  

  As parents, we try to answer all the questions our children ask us; and even though we try to be as truthful as possible, sometimes we have to make up explanations.

  But there are times when the only truthful answer is “I don’t know.” Such is the answer I give when asked why someone would open fire on a classroom and kill 20 innocent children and six innocent adults.

  There are numerous possibilities – he had mental issues, he came from a broken home, he was depressed or there were readily available assault weapons in the house. There are questions as to why he chose Sandy Hook Elementary, what set him off and why he murdered innocent babies instead of just taking himself out.  

  I keep thinking someone knew this piece of human garbage was unhinged. Somebody was aware things were not right with him, and they did little to stop him.

  Perhaps they were afraid they’d be considered biased or prejudiced against people with mental issues. Maybe they didn’t want to get involved in something a family is supposed to take care of behind closed doors. Maybe his family was completely exhausted and overwhelmed with the responsibilities of caring for someone so relentless and sick.

  Right now, we’re grieving for the loss of these 6- and 7-year-old babies who were sitting at their desks one minute and then being shot at close range the next. We sob and thank God for the adults who died trying to save the children.

  Still, our children ask us why bad things happen, and we can’t come up with a reason that makes any sense. I can’t begin to explain why 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot by Taliban gunmen while riding her school bus.  

  Malala was an outspoken proponent of rights for girls, and she was opposed to the oppressive tactics of the Taliban. This young Pakistanian was shot in the face earlier this year in front of her friends and other young children while on her way to school.

  There are no suitable explanations as to why a lunatic opened fire in a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colo. this summer. During a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight,” 12 innocent people were killed and 20 were wounded as the movie played on the screen.

  We’re still trying to understand why, in 1999, two evil teenagers decided to shoot their classmates in Columbine, Colo., an unbelievable act of terror that continues to reverberate throughout the land.

  These heinous acts shattered our belief that we live in a world where children and the weak are safe from men with machine guns and assault rifles, fueled by hatred and lunacy.

  So when our children ask us to explain why bad things happen in this world, I hope we can honestly say we don’t know but we’re working to make sure they never happen again.

  And then keep our word.

 This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.