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Susan Klebold is a brave woman; a mother who lost her son in the most infamous tragedy, Columbine, opens her heart and shares some thoughts.

Most Americans, including most professionals in the field of psychology, assumed that there must have been warning signs and most of us assumed that these signs were missed. Dylan’s mom describes a dark and foreboding essay that his English teachers read; mentioned, but never actually shared with the Klebolds. Was this an early smoke signal?

I believe that Art and English teachers are sometimes “first responders”. Quiet, shy and depressed students share their innermost secrets via creative expression. Therefore it is essential that a psychological triage system exist, so that teachers can share their concerns and proper interventions can occur, immediately.

Just today, a Columbine-like plot was uncovered; “and the teen’s parents were unaware that he possessed any of these items [four 16-ounce bottles containing gasoline, items that could be used as fuses, a torch, a machete, a black trench coat, three propane tanks, two computers and several other electronic devices] or of his intentions of using them in an attack on the school.”

Is it possible that parents do not detect any signs that their children are so disturbed that they may plan or commit an act like murder/suicide?

Yes. In my own experience, both personally and professionally, I have had that gut feeling, that something was askew; but in the end, if someone wants to keep secrets hidden, they are able to do so…even from a mother.