Blogging Baby Talks: Five Questions for Jeanne Caroline

Blogging Baby Talks introduces you to the movers and shakers in the parenting world. Every week Blogging Baby will interview another blogger, writer, entrepreneur, artist, or parent in a five-question format. If there's someone you'd like to see interviewed, let us know. And if you found this installment valuable, be sure to check out our previous Talks columns.

In 2003, Jeanne Caroline's life changed forever. It was on September 5th that police officers came to her home and told her that her son, Seanne, had been shot dead by a friend playing with a gun. The friend's father, Lousi Mevec Sr., was arrested and subsequently found guilty of culpable negligence for storing the loaded weapon underneath his couch. The sentence was cold comfort for Sean and Jeanne Caroline, who are still mourning the loss of their beloved son. Blogging Baby spoke with Jeanne about how she copes with his absence, what she thinks of Mevec, and how she hopes other families can learn valuable lessons from their tragedy.

1.  How long did it take you to come to terms with the fact that you had lost your son?

I don�t know if I will ever really come to terms, that my most precious thing in life (my son Seanne) is gone.

2. Obviously, the loss of a child would have a profound impact on any parent�s existence. What are some of the drastic changes that have occurred in your life since Seanne�s passing?

The house is quiet, no children running through anymore. There is no scheludule, just very long days. Our house used to have so much life and now, there is none. Eight months after Seanne was shot, I tried to join him. My husband saved my life. I feel some days I have to fight for my sanity. Now has been my husband�s turn. It seems when one of us is weak, the other is strong.

3. This was a preventable tragedy. The father of the boy who shot your son was sentenced to three years in prison for his negligence. Do you think this was a fair sentence? Do you forgive the father? If not, do you think you will ever be able to forgive him?

I am glad the father did indeed receive a prison term for his negligence. I was hoping for a longer sentence only to warn, even scare others into locking up their guns. Mr. Mevec didn�t want his child to shoot another child to death, but it happened - and it happened to my child. His life in prison is for only three years. Ours is forever.

Do I forgive him? Do I forgive his son who was old enough to know better than point a gun at my Childs head and pull the trigger, not once, but three times? I am trying everyday to forgive both of them!

4. Were you married at the time of the incident? Has your marriage remained intact? If so, how did you and your husband keep everything from unraveling in the face of this tragedy?

My husband, also named Sean, and I have been married almost 16 years. We are the only ones that will ever know each other�s pain. We as his parents loved him more than anyone! We will never leave each other�s side. We grieve differently; I had to learn this at the beginning. But we both grieve with the same degree of pain.

5. You�ve created a new site dedicated to your son and to the issues of gun safety and gun control. What good things do you hope to produce from his legacy?

I hope that parents will see that we were just a normal, average family that was struck by tragedy. I hope that parents will take that extra step in protecting their children and the lives of other children. If I can reach just one family with the story of my son, then my son�s Web site has done what it was intended for.