I am sure many of you, like me, are once again scared of this new reality we live in. One where it seems, children are not safe to go to school. After the past week of school violence, only one out of the three shootings was carried out by a disgruntled student. The other two were random acts of violence that could have happened in any community.

We search for explanations of why this would happen and do our best to prevent harm from coming to our children. But the truth is, this is not a new reality, but rather an old one brought to light. It reminds us that life is a gift and that we are not guaranteed a tomorrow. Sadly, this is true for our children also. Parents live their lives under the assumption that their children will outlive them. This is the way nature intended, but it is not always the case.

So, despite our best efforts, we cannot protect our children from every evil in the world. If we did, they would not be living their lives to the fullest and we would not be doing our jobs right. It is our job to keep them safe but also help them learn to cope amongst pain and tragedy. As parents, if we can strive to keep this in mind, our parenting will greatly benefit. We will be more patient, more kind, and more loving. Life is short and I want to make sure I have fit in as many hugs, kisses, tickles, giggles and laughs with my children as I can. We owe it to those who have lost their children. We owe it to our own children and we owe it to ourselves.

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