As a teenager, I always said that I didn’t want kids because the world is crazy. Anytime the news is on, you hear about kidnappings, and murders. You can’t trust anyone.

Well I have a son and the world is still crazy, if not worse. There has always been violence, war, and a lack of justice, but in this day and age, these issues are on steroids.

Children used to be able to walk around outside and play in the front yard. There was a time when there was no doubt about the movie theater being a safe place for a family outing. Your child was safe at school and in the classroom, and there was no question about how the teacher’s behavior was toward the students.

People owned guns, and a marathon was just that. The kids were to be inside when the streetlights turned on and usually obeyed their mom and or dad.

This way of living, for the most part, does not exist today.

In my routine of boredom during a class break, I was on Facebook on my phone and scrolled passed a sketch of a man accused of a kidnapping here in Pittsburg. The kidnapping was unsuccessful and the two-year-old little girl was “traumatized” but OK.

I am guilty of being somewhat numb to these things, because unfortunately, this happens everyday.

However, this one really hit home. Maybe it’s because it was here in Pittsburg, maybe it’s because I know that exact area, or maybe it’s because I am a mother.

Just a few months ago, my nephews were approached by “an old man” and were told to get in the car. Thankfully, they knew to run inside the house, yet the man still got away.

We have to lock our doors at night and keep our windows closed. The frightening thought of another school, your child’s school, being massacred is a possibility. Teachers are being fired and convicted of abusing kids, babysitters too. Let’s not forget about the teachers who engage in sexual acts with their students also. Wars used to be between countries, now they take place in our neighborhoods.

It is a cold feeling to know that our children aren’t safe anywhere but it is the truth.

It is up to us to set an example for the children around us.

It is important to teach them respect, how to treat one another and to do the right thing. To have a sense of moral and compassion toward others. We need to educate them so that the same mistakes are not repeated.

Many of the issues that we are dealing with today are caused by the poor decisions of others. The poor decisions from out of control kids who grew up to be out of control adults. Children who were abused, misguided or needed help but never got it.

I read this quote recently, “we don’t need gun control, we need child control” and I agree with that. People have owned guns forever. Why is it now that all of these massacres are taking place? Now, the types of firearms made available to the public may be another story, but I am talking about just a gun that can shoot one bullet at a time.

Taking that privilege away isn’t going to change anything. Sure, there are tests and restrictions to owning guns, and it does vary from state to state, but people will always find a way to get what they want.

Just like when alcohol was prohibited.

Not to mention the fact that when someone buys a gun at a gun show, they do not have to go through the tests and background checks because they are not federally licensed, also many states fail to update the FBI on felons and the mentally ill, which gives them full access as a purchaser.

Instead of voting and arguing about a solution, we need to focus on fixing the root of the problem; beginning with our children