I don’t want to be just another person with an opinion about all of the school shootings that are plaguing our society… but this is something that has been weighing on my mind and on my heart for years.
I desperately want to have children someday, raise a family, be a Mama. But I’m terrified.
Why?
Well, for a myriad of reasons. Some probably ‘normal’ (Will I be a good Mama? What if I screw up? What if I can’t get pregnant?), and one so much bigger than myself… how could I possibly be brave enough to raise a child in today’s world? How do parents bear to send their children to school when it’s no longer a safe place?
I read an article recently that really hit home for me, really spoke to my beliefs on parenting (am I allowed to have those when I don’t have children?). It was written by a man who subdued a school shooter 21 years ago, stopped the student who killed three people.
And do you know what he says the answer is? (Warning: it’s not gun control.) He says the answer lies in being kind to one another, genuinely knowing and caring about the people around you. It lies in parents being parents again, not their kids “friends” and not being too busy to be present. Shielding our youth from the violence in video games and music videos, violence that has become so commonplace they can’t discern between fantasy and reality. The answer lies in God.
So yes, I desperately want to have children someday. And I want to raise them with a man who will strive to lead by example, to show them everyday what it means to be a good, kind person.
I want my children to know the value of quality time, not physical objects. I want them to learn to use their imaginations as they roam around outside, not stare at the TV or play video games. I hope my children learn compassion, respect, and responsibility taking care of innocent animals and take those gentle hearts out into the world when it’s their time.
I hope to teach my children that we serve a faithful God, and we should always be mindful of treating others in a way that makes Him proud.
“It is not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It is our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.”
-L.R. Knost
