 |
|
When my son’s loose front tooth popped out after weeks of wiggling it back and forth, he and I were both still surprised.
He had been just resting on the couch, chewing gum.
“Oh!” he exclaimed, his hand flying to his mouth. “My tooth came out!” He turned and gave me his new gap-toothed grin.
And the moment he flashed that boyish, gleeful smile, I was struck by just how very young he still is.
With all that has been happening around us these days, I’d somehow lost track of time, since I feel like I’ve aged about 20 years in the past six months.
Protecting innocence
It was good to have a reminder of the innocence and goodness of youth.
But with it came the equal reminder of the parental responsibility of protecting that innocence and goodness, especially during times of chaos, uncertainty, and ongoing atrocities.
As parents, my husband and I do our best to protect our children from the world. Yet, knowing that someday they will need to live “in the world but not of the world,” it is important for us to tell them about historic events in an age-appropriate way that does not scare them.
Jesus prays to God Our Father about the disciples in the Gospel of John: “I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (John 17: 15-18).
What we want for our children
We want our children — our young followers of Christ — to know that the world is mostly filled with people who make good choices, but that we must be wary of those who make bad choices.
We want them to know that we all make mistakes and fail, but that we must get up, make amends, and try again.
We want them to know that we must pray for all people, all who are suffering, all who are dying, all who are hurting at the hands of others, all who are causing the hurt.
We want them to know that, to the best of our abilities, we are meant to bring compassion, hope, and kindness to all those around us in whatever way we can.
Above all, we want our children to know that no matter what happens in this life here on earth, Our Lord loves each of them dearly and will never leave them all alone. Ever.
Even if you’re expecting it, you never know the moment something will change. Children grow, parents age, friendships evolve, situations change, people suffer innumerable difficulties. It is part of the experience of living, of being human.
But through it all, Our Lord — faithful, unchanging, ever-loving — remains our constant.
Julianne Nornberg, mother of four young children, is a member of St. John the Baptist Parish, Waunakee.