top of page

FOLLOW ME:

  • Facebook Social Icon
  • Instagram Social Icon
  • Pinterest Social Icon

RECENT POSTS: 

SEARCH BY TAGS: 

Violence In Vegas: How Do We Raise Our Kids in This Kind of World?

  • Writer: Abby Hillary
    Abby Hillary
  • Oct 2, 2017
  • 4 min read

When I went to bed last night, I planned on blogging today about our trip to the Apple Orchard and all the fun we had this weekend, but that plan quickly changed. I woke up this morning and groggily looked at my phone as usual, and saw a news alert about yet another deadly shooting and my heart sank. It's so sad that I am even saying "yet another deadly shooting," isn't it? First reports of the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas indicated I think two fatalities. By the time I woke at 6.30am, it had risen to 20, and now it's up to at least 50 the last time I checked, with hundreds (yes HUNDREDS) of others injured. This is now being called the deadliest shooting in US history. The previous "Deadliest Shooting" was ONLY last year where 49 people died during the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Both of these events started out peaceful, with people just wanting to have fun. Where did our world go wrong?

It seems like every few weeks, I wake up to news of a new tragedy, whether it's here in the United States or abroad. I remember a time not so long ago that these events were SO few and far between that they remained "major news," for lack of a better phrase (don't even get me started on the news, EVERYTHING is considered breaking or major news these days, but I digress), for MONTHS, if not a year or more. I think back to the Columbine Shooting or the Oklahoma City Bombing, two major violent events that took place during my teen years, and I can tell you exactly where I was when I heard about both of those. Now it seems like every few weeks or every few months there is a shooting or some other act of violence or terrorism somewhere. So much to the point that if you asked me where I was when I heard the news of the Pulse shooting, the previous "Deadliest Shooting in US History," I couldn't tell you. I think I was at home, but I can't say for certain.

All of this brings me to my point of today's blog. My heart breaks into a million tiny pieces every time a senseless act of violence takes place, and I haven't lost a loved one in any of these attacks. I however, hurt on a level that is still so deep, as I think of my two beautiful girls growing up in such an ugly world. They aren't old enough to ask me yet, "Mommy, why did they do this?" or "Mommy, why are people so mean?" (in the words of an innocent child) or "Mommy, why did that person run all of those other people over with their car?" I thank God every day that they aren't old enough to ask that yet, but I know that day will come soon, and I honestly don't know how to answer those questions. How will we raise these girls to be careful, but not afraid? How do we teach our children compassion and that there is good in everyone, when they are surrounded with these horrific events? I want my children to be bold, to explore and to love hard. I don't want them to be bitter and know such hatred. I don't want them to be afraid of the world we live in. But how do I foster this when the state of the society we live in is, in fact, scary and more hateful than I could have imagined it would ever be?

Dan and I have talked about this so many times, and it terrifies us, bringing the kids up in our current society. I pray a lot for people directly impacted by these tragedies, and also I pray to God for answer to how we will address this in our family. Sometimes we say we just want to move away, off the grid, and raise our family that way. I know it's not the most practical solution, but the fact that we would ever even consider that as a worst case scenario option means that we are raising our kids in a VERY different society than we were raised in. Sure, we are raising them with the same values and love and all of that that we were raised with, but beyond that, it's not quite as similar. Both Dan and I are close with our parents, and there have been times numerous where we have asked them, "Hey Mom (or Dad), how would you handle this when we were young?" be it one of the kids are sick, or throwing a temper tantrum, or whatever. But for this, I don't think that's something that we can ask them their experience, because these things were SO rare back then. I can't call my mom up and say "Hey Mom, how did you explain to me as a 5 year old what a terrorist was and why they kill people?"

Parenting is a trial and error journey that never ends. It's filled with SO much love, but also a lot of fear and a TON of prayers. I'd like to think Dan and I do a good job of letting our kids be kids, letting them explore, letting them fall and pick themselves back up. I just hope we can find a way to do the same when we have to explain these senseless acts of violence to them when they are old enough to ask about them. I'm sure by the time they are old enough, Dan and I will have come up with a way to explain it to them, but until that day draws near, I have no idea. Parents/grandparents/caregivers of the world, I would love to hear your thoughts on this and how you are teaching your children about tragedy, because I am clueless. For now, I am just going to keep on teaching them kindness, love, and wonder, and pray that I eventually find a way to explain everything else to these two. Days like today make me want to freeze tender moments of innocence like this:

If we could all be this kind to one another, wouldn't the world be a much better place?

 
 
 

Comments


© 2023 by Closet Confidential. Proudly created with Wix.com

  • b-facebook
  • Twitter Round
  • Instagram Black Round
bottom of page