Our kids were 2.5, 2.5 and just-in-kindergarten. We are on the West Coast. I was up at 6:00 with one twin, Teresa, and we watched Mr. Rogers and were 10 minutes into Barney when someone knocked at the door. When I answered it, our upstairs neighbor Alex asked if I were watching TV and knew the news. When I said "we're watching Barney" he proceeded to tell me what was happening. I looked at him and thought "He's drunk". It was just too incredible.
He quickly convinced me that something of importance was happening, and I told my husband in the bedroom to watch the news. I went to the living room with the kids to watch Barney and whatever else was on, and get our oldest ready for school.
Someone else mentioned the teachers' behavior - I was in shock and could only think to shield my children from the shock of events that I could not yet explain to them. At our local elementary school, the teachers moved slowly, somberly, but went through their day normally enough to give the children a normal day: a great gift to me and my husband as we struggled to understand what was happening.
I don't understand anymore why I did, but I did go to work after seeing my oldest safely into her kindergarten class. I remember that on a freeway where the average speed is 80 mph, 15 mph over the limit, every car traveled at exactly the speed limit.
Proof on how the world has changed; if this happenned (again) today, none of us would find it too incredible anymore.
Thanks.