In recent years, America has been confronted with the harsh reality of mass shootings. Each incident etches itself into our collective memory, reducing once-vibrant towns to mere names: Columbine, Sandy Hook, Orlando. These places, often celebrated for their family-friendly environments, now serve as grim reminders of the violence that lurks in our society. As mothers, however, we have never truly felt safe.
The aftermath of these tragedies leaves us engulfed in fear. The moment we become mothers, our hearts begin to roam outside our bodies. It’s not our lives we worry about; it’s our children’s. The victims of shootings are someone’s children. Imagine the agony of a mother frantically calling her child’s phone, only to be met with silence. It’s every mother’s worst nightmare: envisioning our beloved children alone, hurt, and afraid. We are living in a constant state of terror.
These acts of violence are designed to instill fear—terrorism in its raw form. While we can try to shield our minds from their influence, the emotional toll on our hearts is undeniable. As mothers, we are terrified of losing what we hold dear.
Every trip to the mall becomes a source of anxiety. We ponder whether those child carts could provide any semblance of protection. In Target, as we stroll past the clothing racks, we find ourselves contemplating hiding inside them, crafting makeshift tourniquets from fabric to save lives. At Walmart, we worry about keeping our kids silent while we huddle behind shelves, fearing that even the smallest noise could give us away.
The movie theater is no sanctuary either. The memory of a shooting at a cinema haunts us, reminding us of the fragility of safety. In church, where sanctuaries should offer peace, we brace ourselves for the possibility of violence. We would shield our children with our own bodies, praying desperately for their safety.
For mothers of color, there’s an added layer of fear—worrying that someone will target their children simply because of their skin. For LGBTQ+ mothers, the dread of a hate-fueled attack during celebrations is ever-present. Every drop-off at school echoes with reminders of past tragedies, with images of children practicing lockdown drills etched in our minds.
Every outing is now marred by the shadow of potential violence, with gunfire joining the ranks of other dangers we face. We grapple with these fears daily, our minds racing after each new incident, struggling to find a sense of normalcy. It’s a relentless cycle of anxiety, but we persist. We continue to go to malls, send our kids to school, and live our lives, refusing to let fear dictate our actions. Yet, we cannot ignore the reality that we are mothers who have been terrorized.
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In summary, the fear we mothers endure in today’s world is not just a fleeting feeling; it’s a profound reality that shapes our daily lives. We grapple with the constant threat posed by violence, but we also strive to protect our children and maintain a semblance of normality in an unpredictable world.
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