Where is the Grace? Where is the Love?

I started writing this post on June 1st. I posted it in the notes of my phone. Not quite complete, not quite finished with my thoughts on the whole parent bashing that seems to take place anytime a parent/child tragedy happens. Little did I know that in two weeks time another incident would hit national news. Now my post is complete...

Where is the grace? Where is the love?

As a Moma I cannot even count on one hand the times one of my children have gotten out of my sight. One of mine thought he was pretty funny at age 3 hiding in that clothes rack at Walmart for 180 seconds. Believe me a Code Adam was called. The feeling of panic that grips a parent to find their child missing for even one second is unexplainable.

My poor niece- Miss J, I'm sure glad I got to practice parent on you. Poison control has been on speed dial ever since that possible fingernail polish remover consumption and yes, I will admit the the time I THREW you to protect you from an attack of swarming insects. I don't think we ever did find what truly was attacking us.

Oh, and to this day why did I put flip flops on an 18 month old? Her poor nose as it met the driveway pavement. I guess I should have also been berated when she got in the way of a driveway pickup basketball game and was hospitalized overnight with a concussion.

Let's don't even talk of all the zoo's we have visited over the years. I can guarantee you that if one or three of us Williams' kids could have found a way into a few cages out of curiosity we would have. We were pretty ornery.

I can only imagine another mother's fear for her child as she watched helplessly as her child was in the cage and possession of a wild animal. I am sure if she could have figured out the how to get in the same cage she would have.

A NO SWIMMING sign means just that. NO SWIMMING. It doesn't mean not sitting on a beach. What kid wouldn't be curious enough to dip fingers or toes into the water. Kids are kids!!

I cannot and do not want to imagine a father's fear as he did everything within his human power to save his son from the grips of a hidden reptile.

Face it, NONE of us mothers or fathers will be awarded the perfect parent of the year award. EVER. Let's love. Let's support. Don't hate on or judge. Tragedy is tragedy. Finger pointing doesn't help, it cuts deep. Let's cover each other in grace.

I think we have become a society looking for everything that a parent does that is wrong and are putting them to shame when something bad happens. When the bad happens it happens to all of us. If we are to be Christlike we are to remember, Jesus wept. (John 11:35)