April will mark two years of this blog. That means every Friday for almost 100 weeks in a row I have brought you information, feelings, and hopefully entertainment. Unfortunately, this week—a week that our city was meant to be celebrating—turned into a deadly tragedy. Even more disheartening is that half of the injured were children between the ages of six and fifteen. Of the 45 days so far in 2024, there have been 49 mass shootings. Read that last sentence again and let that sink in. In less than two years this will mark my second post mentioning my fear of gun violence as a mother. This one hit so close to home that I almost couldn’t comprehend it. I had friends at the parade. Friends that brought their kids to celebrate a team, our team. This city is passionate about our Chiefs. Red Kingdom shows up win or lose. So, it was no surprise to me that morning when newscasters predicted close to 1 million fans to attend. What was surprising was turning the news back on a couple of hours later. The headline no longer mentioned champions, dynasties, joy, or celebration, but “Shooting Outside Union Station.” My heart sank as did every other Kansas Citian watching it all unfold.

I’m not writing this to talk politics, the Second Amendment, or argue whether it’s the guns or lack of mental health resources. I’m writing this because I am a mom, and I don’t want the fear of mass shootings and gun violence to dictate whether I can take my family to a parade. I am writing this because I’m sick to my stomach imagining it was me with my children currently trying to recover from a gunshot wound. I don’t know where we go from here, but I do know our community is strong. As I watched the press conference with the doctors from Children’s Mercy Hospital, the lead Psychiatrist was talking about how to discuss things like this with your kids. She admitted she didn’t have all the answers, but she said to listen first. Most importantly, she said to turn the news off when you can, put down your phone, and most significantly be present because our children need us and need our full attention, love, and support. Although that seems overly simple in a situation like this, I think this is the most important thing we as parents can do day in and day out. I honestly didn’t want to mention this tragedy today. When given the opportunity, I always want to choose joy and focus on the positive, but my heart is heavy.

Just like the doctor at Children’s Mercy said in the press conference, I am putting my phone away, turning the news off—and as my daughter refers to them, giving the biggest “snuggle bug hug” I can to each of my beautiful little people. I encourage you to do the same. Grab a stack of books, cuddle up on the couch, and read of imaginary places where these horrid acts don’t exist. Change your voice with each character and belly laugh right along with your kids. Don’t let your fear, anxiety, or sadness steal glimmers of love and happiness. I hope this is the last time I ever mention a horrible act of gun violence in one of my weekly posts. Our kids deserve better. Our country deserves better. We deserve better. As I said earlier, I don’t have the answers, but I do have faith that things will change someday, somehow. Until then, I’ll follow Mother Teresa’s lead and go home and love my family.

“Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do. If you want to bring happiness to the whole world, go home and love your family.”

-Mother Teresa

Enjoy your weekend and as always, happy reading.