The World is a Different Place

Yesterday was a very sad day in America. It is not only sad because of the events that took place in Boston, but also because it seems that more and more frequently America is coming together to console each other in times of darkness and sorrow at the hands of evil. My love and prayers go out to all that were affected in Boston. We stand by you.

While I was on the phone with my mom last night, we were comparing the news stories that we had heard. It had been hours at that point since I watched the news, mostly because those images are not ones that I want my son to see. And honestly, I was perfectly happy sitting and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with him. It's good and happy and at almost 4 years old, that is all he should know.

We started talking about how different that world is. She said that when she was growing up, you didn't have to worry about sending your kids out to play, or to school or even on a school bus. They could walk to their friend’s house, alone, and not fear being snatched up by some crazed lunatic. People didn't fly planes into buildings, they didn't walk into schools and shoot innocent children, and they didn't bomb marathons. There was a sense of security.

I reminded her that those very things were less of a concern even when I was growing up. We used to walk in packs around town, going from house to house to "hang out". Our parents knew all of our friends, their parents, and where they lived. And as crazy as it sounds, the parents even had each other’s phone numbers, imagine that!!

Today, however, the world is a very different place. Many of the freedoms, mine and my parents’ generations were afforded are gone for our children and it’s sad and extremely disheartening. I will never be able to tell my son, “go outside and play” while I make dinner. I need to be there watching him and watching who drives by and who is lurking around.

It is sad to know that my little boy will never know the joys and freedoms that I did as a child. What kind of place will he raise his children in?