When this face is sad, I can't take it. That being said, I am not a believer in shielding my child from everything. Being a kindergarten teacher, I know that kids need to have a little bit of tough skin to make it through the day. In a given day, their fingers might get stepped on, someone might shove them while getting in line, or they might take an unkind comment or two. Not that I am condoning this behavior, but it is life. But being a mom, I see the other side too. The side of me learning to deal with this...
Yep. Those are the battle scar band-aids of the 6 month checkup (by the way, we are 19 lbs and 26 inches:o) She was so happy, slamming her rattle onto the paper-covered table and squealing at the pretty nurses. Looking at me while I held her down, she probably wondered what was about to happen. Her poor face turned bright red and she had the most painful cry! Not a whiny cry or a cry about not getting something she wants, but pain. Ugh. It took all I had not to cry with her, but within a minute or so, she was back to normal.
But watching TV this week, there were two poignant moments when I thought, "God, WHY is this on TV? Why is this OK for me, let alone children, to see?" Moment number one. A man outside of Columbus (Zanesville, to be exact), loses his mind, lets all of his exotic animals out of their cages to run rampant around suburbia, and then shoots himself. Oh yeah, and 49 of 56 gorgeous, incredible animals are shot and killed in the chaos following his selfish, idiotic act. I know they needed to be and I would not have traded places with any of the deputies that had to make that choice. But, like Jack Hanna said, human life comes first. So, my problem? My problem is that as I am feeding my daughter her bottle, as many of my students are eating their breakfast while mom and dad have the news on, they SHOW the dead animals. Yes, all 50 of them laying dead in a field to be buried. Carnage! And then they show Jack Hanna, whose image never have been associated with the image of slaughtered animals. I can't protect Larkyn from hearing this story, nor do I need to. But I want to protect her from seeing the images that the news thought they should show. Actually, I just tried to find a link to read about the incident in case you are unfamiliar, but they all showed the dead animals as well and I refuse to perpetuate the indecency.
Next moment? Seriously the most disturbing thing I have ever seen on TV!! Has anyone seen the video of Moammar Gadhafi being killed? Let's just get it out there... I'm not a "fan" of his. But to show a person, any person, being dragged through the street completely beaten, begging for his life, and then cutting it the second before he actually gets shot? Crossing the line. And no, I didn't google it. I was watching the nightly news like I do every night and there is was. I don't ever want my child seeing another person in that situation no matter who the person is. I don't believe in the death penalty and I don't believe she needs to see it unfold. Yes, she will know that it happens and that people get killed, but this crosses the line of portraying real life on TV. Stop trying to sell advertising by showing shocking images on TV.
Anyway, my point? Becoming a mom hasn't changed my opinion. But it put into motion a delicate balancing act...letting her experience the world and the "ouchies" that go with it while shielding her as much as I can from scary images running rampant through the media. Welcome to motherhood, right?
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