“There was a bad man running around our town, but the police caught him.” These were my daughter’s words two years after the Boston Marathon Bombing. At nearly three years old, she was too young to understand the full weight of that day, yet she vividly remembered the feeling of being confined indoors during what should have been a perfect spring day. I never anticipated that I would have to explain to her that there are people in the world who could cause harm, forcing us to stay inside while those sworn to protect us did their job.
As parents, our instinct is to shield our children from pain and fear, but sometimes that’s simply not possible. We find ourselves trying to make sense of the senseless, comforting our little ones as we cocoon them from the harsh truths of a world that can feel chaotic and frightening.
April 15, 2013, was one of those days—a day when three innocent lives were taken in an act of unthinkable violence, plunging our community into fear yet simultaneously uniting us in resilience. In the days that followed the bombing, we hovered protectively over our children, waiting anxiously for the capture of the perpetrator who sought refuge in our town. We stayed home, prayed, and anxiously anticipated news of safety.
Our children, in their innocence, seemed frozen in that moment. This experience has been a poignant lesson for me; while we cannot always shield them from every danger, we can equip them with the tools to understand and cope with the darker aspects of life that they will inevitably encounter. That spring day, we crafted a giant sign thanking our local first responders, placing it prominently in our window. We talked about how the brave men and women in the police and fire departments were working tirelessly to ensure our safety. We read together more than usual and shared extra snuggles on the couch. However, we also began to feel a bit more cautious, a little more apprehensive about crowds and allowing our kids to roam freely.
We must not let fear dictate our lives because in doing so, we risk stripping away the very essence of childhood—the joy, the innocence we yearn to preserve. Boston, as a community, refused to succumb to that fear. Instead, we rallied together, embodying the spirit of being Boston Resilient.
Let us always hold onto the words of the youngest victim of the bombing, young Martin Richard, who inspired us to teach our children: “No more hurting people. Peace.” We remember Krystle Campbell, Sean Collier, Lingzi Lu, and Martin Richard as we continue to stand strong.
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In summary, while we cannot always shield our children from the shadows of the world, we can guide them in understanding and confronting their fears, ensuring they grow up with hope and resilience.
Keyphrase: Boston Resilient
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