Our Valentine's Day Love Should Motivate Us to Protect Our Children

Valentine's Day 2017

Today is Valentine's Day. It's an international day of love. We market it. We envy it. And the lucky ones experience it.  I have to confess, I was one of the lucky ones. I was honored to be surrounded by and receive love. I received cards, flowers, text messages, and numerous telepathic messages wishing me well. Yes, friends and blog readers, I received your telepathic messages and that made me feel great!

I was also blessed to hug my children and put them safely to bed tonight. Every day I am grateful when I am able to do that.  Yesterday though, I was even more conscious of my blessings because there was yet another school shooting. Today, seventeen people left this world too soon because someone stole their lives with a gun. (For more about this tragedy, click here.) Those people left gaps in families that cannot be refilled and they were all somebody's children. And they will no longer celebrate another Valentine's Day.

As Mothers, let's become the change we want to see and demand gun control

Motherhood has been called an impossible, all consuming love. And it is true. Nothing compares to it. That said, becoming a mother has made me feel more responsible for those around me. All of these school shootings have made be feel like I have let down the children of America, we all have. And it is time that we collectively did something to stop it.

My friends on Facebook and in other forms of social media are heartbroken, scared and feel helpless.  Initially, I felt helpless too. However, now I am mad at us all. We mothers are the keepers of the peace. We have to do more. We have to do more. We have to do MORE! 

Our legislators and other elected officials are to blame. However, we are too. We have continued to elect people who don't prioritize this issue. We debate gun violence as if it is a theoretical constitutional issue and not a life or death matter. We encourage police officers to take down criminals and yet we allow guns--all types of guns to be easily accessible--as if the shooters could wreak such havoc with another type of weapon. 

There may be no easy answers. However, history and recent events have taught us that easy access to guns leads to tragedies. So, let us commit to doing something different. When our children are unsafe the future of our country is compromised. Let us love them enough to protect them. 

Contact your Congressman and demand that they champion gun control. You may call, email, or send a letter. You can do all three if you'd like. To find your congressman's contact information, click here.