Yet another terror attack has taken place. This time at singer Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester, a concert where attendees were mostly teens, and kids with their parents. Victims include 8-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos, who was at the concert with her older sister and mum when the attack occurred. Her mum is still in hospital, and may have no idea that her daughter is dead.
18-year-old Georgina Callander, a die hard Grande fan, is yet another victim of the tragedy. She died in hospital with her mother at her bedside.
There are parents who are still frantically searching for their missing kids, parents who might have said goodbye to their kids for the last time.
As a mum of two young daughters – who, if we lived in Manchester, might have very well been at the same concert – my heart aches and breaks for those parents who lost their precious children. Young, innocent lives snatched away too soon for no fault of theirs.
My daughters have been asking me questions about what happened, and here’s my answer to them:
To my daughters,
I really don’t have any answers for ‘why’ such senseless acts of violence are carried out…and I feel clueless on how to advise you about safety precautions and staying out of harm’s way.
I have come to realise that life is short and unpredictable, and it only takes a moment for your world to be snatched away from you…
To my lovely, innocent daughters,
Let’s not focus on what’s bad with this world. Let’s focus instead, on being a better version of ourselves, bit by bit, every single day. And let’s make sure that we keep these promises to each other:
To live in the present…
I promise to be ‘fully present’ when I am with you. I promise to ‘listen’ and not just ‘hear’, your little stories, and things that matter to you. I promise you that the smiles on your faces and the tears in your eyes will be far more important than how many ‘clicks’ my article gets. And I hope that time spent with mummy and daddy will matter to you much more than the television and the Internet.
Never to judge people…
It might be tempting, but remember to never categorise or judge people based on the senseless acts of a few. There is no good religion or bad religion, good race or bad race, there are just good ‘people’ and bad ‘people’.
Let’s stop judging, and start embracing the diversity of this wonderful world, for differences are meant to be experienced and celebrated. You will realise that the more we are different, the more we are the same.
Remember to be kind to all, to forget and forgive. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “Hate begets hate, violence begets violence;…Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Not to worry and overthink…
I have now realised that it is quite impossible to keep you secure in a protective bubble, away from all harm and evil; that no matter how much I try, there are some things that are beyond me.
So, instead of worrying about harm that is beyond our control, let’s flood our minds with positivity and hope; and our hearts, with love and kindness.
To love with more might…
Ultimately, let’s do all those things that bring us more joy; so let’s sing a little more, dance a little more, travel and experience the world together. Let’s also have more leisurely hugs, and warm, tender kisses; long talks about our hopes and dreams…
Our love will see us through, my darlings. Love is more powerful than hate – remember this always.
From your mum, who loves you more than you will ever know.
Republished with permission from: theAsianParent Singapore
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