Fiery Post from the Fiery Red-head.

Some of you may jump all over for me for what I’m about to say.. I ask that you at least read it all the way through before you do.

I’m a mother of two children, and I am incredibly sad about the world that they are growing up in.   

It’s a world where I’m concerned about taking them places where large groups may gather because I can’t watch everyone.  I’m concerned about sending them to school because there are those who believe school children are targets.  I’m concerned all the time.  This is not the same world that I grew up in, I can tell you that.

Tonight’s tragedy in Dallas is just one more in a string of tragedies that spans quite some time.  My heart breaks for those officers and their families, just as it breaks when innocent people are killed by officers or anyone else.

Friends, All Lives Matter.

Yes, I said it.  I don’t care what persuasion you are, what color your skin or your hair is.. I don’t care what your profession is, nor do I care what your religion is.

People Matter. 

And that seems to be a lesson humanity hasn’t been passing down clear enough.  When did it become “second nature” in modern times to reach for a gun to settle a dispute?  When did it become okay to destroy someone else’s property just because you can?

When, as a culture, as human beings, did we just stop caring?

I am sure some of you are saying “HEY!” right about now.  I get it. No one likes fingers pointed.

Look, I get it.  I’m conservative in many aspects of my life.  I still believe that you can Love Whoever You Want to Love, and if you want to marry them, I wish you the best.  That doesn’t hurt me or my beliefs or my family, or my children’s upbringing or your children’s upbringing.   Why can’t people just be happy with who they want to be happy with?

I think all people are equal and if you’re going to judge them, it should be on their own merit.  Do you work hard?  Do you have goals?  Do you have aspirations?  I think people who work hard to provide for their families should be commended.

I worked hard for where I am today, and I’m still working to improve.  I’ve worked crappy retail jobs with no benefits, I’ve waitressed and bartended, and there was a time I worked 3 jobs, 7 days a week to make ends meet.  I remember when I finally got my first job that offered benefits! I was so excited to have made it that far!  And then I continued to improve myself to work my way up. 

I think many kids today, and I mean young all the way up to their 20s, have a hard time adjusting to life once they hit the real world.  I think too many kids are raised on pedestals instead of the ground.  So many of those “helicopter parents” and some of those other stereotypes that pushed for every kid to get a trophy and maintained every aspect of their child’s life did a huge disservice to their children. 

When you get to College and beyond, life has winners and losers.  My generation grew up being taught that you had to be a gracious winner and an even more gracious loser. If you won, you congratulated those who tried their best.  If you lost, you congratulated those that bested you, and then you turned around and strived to do better.  We were taught the importance of working hard for what you wanted to achieve.

I think that’s missing now.  I think our children in general have gotten so used to other people fighting their battles for them and managing their lives, that they have no idea how to deal with or solve basic conflicts.  I think our children don’t care at all about someone else’s property as long as their own property is just fine.  I think our children have disconnected from the world and only care about themselves and those in their bubble.  I think they need to learn more about respect, and how it must be both earned and given.

Our kids haven’t learned how to survive life outside their parents’ house.  And for whatever reason, guns and violence are what they turn to.

Tonight, a peaceful protest turned deadly because a couple individuals decided to use that moment for their own agenda to inspire fear and to wage war on the police.  The protesters weren’t doing that.   

Others did. 

But you know what happened?  Even in the wake of people dying, the protesters were replaced by those wanting to incite more havoc.  On the news you could see taunting and such happening in front of the officers.

Many are so quick to say “Officers are killing people!”  You know what?  We need to stop generalizing this.  Out of all of the nation’s police forces, yes, there are some bad cops out there.  That in no way means they are all bad.  There are lots of good cops, good men and women in uniform, out there. They just don’t make the news. 

Generalities can be said about a lot of things.  About Gender, Race, Ethnicity, Religious Affiliation, etc etc etc.  Just because there are some bad people out there, it doesn’t mean all are bad.

Families and communities need to start coming together to make positive changes.  We need to teach that there’s a better way than being a divided community / nation / etc.   We need to change our streets, our neighborhoods, our towns and cities..   

You know who also needs to step it up and promote positivity?  Our leadership.  All the way on up. 

What are the famous words?  

United we stand.  Divided we fall.  

America has plenty of enemies. We should be more worried about that problem.