What am I afraid of?
I guess the more pertinent question, in my case, is what am I NOT afraid of?
I am afraid of everything.
You name it, I worry about it. Especially when it comes to my children.
I worry about sickness, drugs, child molesters, hit-and-runs, tornadoes, fires, car accidents, drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, broken legs, broken necks, swallowed teeth, concussions, dog bites, snake bites, bug bites, killer bees, wild animals, bird poop (it has disease-carrying spores in it!), drownings, electrocutions, home invasions, fingers getting cut off in car doors, peer pressure, abductions, lightning strikes, running with sticks, bullies, hurt feelings, falling down stairs and a myriad of other things that are beyond my control.
Because of the recent terrifying school shooting in our area, I now feel like I have something else to worry about: random violence.
I’ve spent the last few days wondering what on earth possesses people to do these horrible things? What evil lurks in the hearts of men? And how can we, as parents, combat it?
The feeling of being out of control is a terrible one – for me, anyway. I’m guessing it is for you too.
I like to have a plan. I’m a list-maker. I want both my hands on the wheel. My plans help me deal with my fears. I like for life to go according to plan – MY plan.
But plans are notorious for one thing, right? Getting messed up!
As parents, we all struggle with fear. My family homeschools, but don’t think for a second that I’m under the delusion that my kids are safe from all harm just because they aren’t inside a school building every day. And fellow homeschoolers – don’t think that if you were sending your kids to school that you wouldn’t have the insecurities and fears that you have, either.
Nope, no matter what our circumstances may be, we are all just living with our own fears.
Different fears, maybe, but in essence they are exactly the same.
We want to be in control, but how can that be? Is it even possible?
Don’t get me wrong – I am very glad that I have the ability, means and freedom to school my children at home, but I recognize that not everyone does. It's scary to be a mom and know that the choices we make today will shape our children's futures for the rest of their lives and beyond. It's scary for ALL of us - whether or not our kids are in public school. Things like school shootings can happen anytime, anywhere.
And one of the biggest challenges moms have is the struggle to not give in to fear.
I know. I struggle with that challenge. Heck, I lose on a daily basis.
So, moms – you love your children just as much as I love mine. What do we do? What can we do?
We are never going to be in control the way we want to be. I thank God that He gives us wisdom for the present, forgiveness for the past, and hope for the future. No, we will never be able to wrap our kids in protective bubble wrap and keep them safe from the outside world forever. I guess fear isn’t something we can ever get rid of completely. But there are some things we can do.
We can pray just a little bit longer tonight.
We can encourage each other just a little bit more tomorrow.
And every day, EVERY day, we can hug our kids just a little bit tighter.
from my 3/4/12 article for www.mentorpatch.com
