Oblivious

In 2001, when the World Trade Center in New York was hit by 2 planes hijacked by terrorists, my rose colored glasses fell off abruptly and I realized something I never realized before....there was true hatred and evil in this world.  At 21 years of age I had a sudden realization, that despite my desire to only see the good in this world, there was in fact a lot of bad.  A LOT. 

Oblivious.

Fast forward 14 years, and now I am a wife and a mother to 2 rambunctious little guys here on this earth.  Our days are mostly filled with Thomas the Train, ABC's, Daniel Tiger, books, puzzles, mischief, and detesting most foods that aren't cheese crackers or muffins.  My little guys spend their days learning new skills, playing/annoying one another, and protesting most forms of sleep.  This is their world.  They know unconditional love from their mom and dad and for the most part wear smiles on their faces. 

Joy. Content. Wonder and Awe.

Oblivious.

So when the terrorist attacks occurred this past Friday in Paris, I turned on the news while making the boys dinner (something I don't usually do....the news...not the dinner) and I watched in horror as once again the terrorists had seemed to win.  Terrorists had once again killed innocent people in the name of Allah.  And do you know what my boys did? They threw their food on the floor and protested their hot dogs.

Oblivious.

You see my boys don't care about hatred.  They've never heard the term ISIS or terrorist or bomb.  All they know is that mom has once again disappointed them with dinner and they would much rather be out of their chairs and making mischief and memories.  Their rose colored glasses remain. 

Oblivious.

...and you know what? I'm ok with that.  In fact, I am more than ok with that.  I have a very real desire to protect that oblivion for as long as I possibly can.

Becoming a parent does strange things to you.  Suddenly, you aren't worried about yourself anymore, but man oh man, you have a fierce desire in you to protect those little ones.  You'd do anything to make sure they were safe.  And so when I see images of people at a rock concert, a restaurant, and a sporting event being attacked, it makes me want to take my two little boys in my arms and never let them go.  It makes me want to build a bunker and protect them from all the bad stuff in this world.  It makes me want to keep them oblivious for as long as I possibly can. 

But the truth is...I can't.  And that scares the hell out of me.  One day, all too soon, their rose colored glasses will fall off, too.  Yes, we will do all that we can to protect them from that for as long as we can.  Yes, they will be older and more able to handle the information.  My husband and I will still be there to help explain (if there is an explanation for terrorists) and help calm their fears.  But one day, they will no longer be oblivious and for today, I don't know what to do about that.