My So-Called World

When I was little I use to dance on the grass at the front of my parents house. I use to think that a famous director would drive by and see me and want to make me “famous”. Yes, I thought this. I was young and innocent.

When I was around 8 years of age there was fear of strangers offering candy to children and taking them away. I was taught never to talk or go near strangers in cars. We were told that if they said that your mom was hurt and they would take you to her in the hospital, don’t go with them.

Then when I was 12 and went to middle school my mother bought me a rape whistle to walk a mere 4 minutes through a very bright and open part of a ravine with my friends to go to school. My mother is a little paranoid. But she instilled a fear in myself and Auntie Beige. I would have to carry the rape whistle in my pocket or attached to my backpack.

Then in high school it was merely “don’t do anything stupid”. I didn’t really. Going to see a musical many, many, many times was really the “worst” of it. I would go shopping with friends at malls, I had a part-time job at a store as well as babysitting gig.

Then in University it was “make good choices about your future”. So I got a B.A., worked for a bit and then went back to school to get my Masters in Education.

Now as a mother I want to “be a good mom and raise a great child”. I want to raise a community leader, a person who gives back, who is responsible and respectful of the people and world around her. I would love to raise her in the world I grew up in but that world no longer exists. There are guns. EVERYWHERE. Malls, movie theatres, on the street, at barbeques. There are deranged people cutting off people’s limbs and sending them through the mail. There are kidnappings, murders and rapes. There is fraud, identity theft and mistrust. I brought a child into this world last year knowing that this will be her reality. She will never be able to play in the streets with friends unattended. She might always be skeptical of people. She will need to memorize hundreds maybe even thousands of passwords in her lifetime to keep her private things “safe”. She will never be able to hide from anything as she is living in a digital world.

I’m happy that I don’t have to explain to Princess Peach the callous events that took place the other night in Aurora, Colorado. I am so sad for all the people who were murdered and their families who are dealing with the aftermath. No one should every be worried that they will be harmed if they go watch a movie. No one should worry about their safety shopping in a busy street on Boxing Day. No one should ever worry that a gun will kill their loved one because another person is mentally ill and does not know how to ask for help. To the people out there who are depressed and considering harming others please ask for her. Talk to a family member, friend, counselor, teacher. Get help before you ruin your life and others. To the families in shock and disbelief I am so sorry. The world is mourning with you. To Princess Peach, I’m sorry that the world you are growing up in a world that will mature you way sooner than any parent would l like. I wish for you to always make good choices be safe.

How do you feel raising a child in today’s world? Isn’t it scary?