Fear is a powerful thing. Primarily, it’s intended to keep us safe. Fear from being hit by a car keeps us from stepping out into the street. Fear from burning ourselves keeps us from grabbing a hot pan with bare hands. When it comes to school shootings, fear causes us to do nonsensical things.
Following the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, we’ve seen countless parents shouting out, “DO SOMETHING!” but they don’t know what to do. We’ve seen the media recounting so many horrifying stories with the intention of driving their own political agenda in Congress.
If you, like me, want to see these school shootings come to an end, then let’s all take some responsibility for our communities and these lonely, hopeless, sad children in our midst. They are the lost, broken kids in our schools. Their parents, for many different reasons, aren’t giving them what they need to feel loved, wanted, and that they belong. These primary emotions are the foundations of a healthy adolescent. When an already socially outcast kid is lacking parental support at home, it’s only a matter of time before they do something drastic to get noticed or feel loved and appreciated. After all, everyone longs to feel desired at some level by those they care about.
Let’s all realize that this problem is SO much bigger than gun control. Saying it’s just a gun issue is simplistic, and another way to shift the blame. If you take away guns, kids will turn to other methods to carry out their plans. Let’s look at the root of the problem, which in my opinion is the health of the family and the health of our communities.
I think we can all agree that the family unit is broken and in need of repair. It starts with us, parents. Let’s make today a better day than yesterday. What’s something you are willing to work on in your family to make your kids and your community better? Share your mom+thoughts in the comments below.