He will have the best dad ever. Promise. Pastor Ryan talking about his new son, Finn...
It use to be parents took good care of their kids. When a child went missing, you didn't even think about anything but stranger danger, These days, are different, In the last 12 days, the community at large has lived out our own nightmare. Having followed child abductions all over the country - this time, it is our turn. It started out with a missing boy, Robert Manwill. We were all horrified and hoped he had just wandered off and got lost. With in a few days when he wasn't found, we started to panic. The the details of a violent family made everyone not want to but have to - look at those closest to him. The who gave him birth, those who were suppose to protect him.
We also learned that his real father had lost another child, another son. His first wife had stabbed that child to death. How does one person live through having 2 children murdered? When the dental records yesterday matched Robert's, the 2300 volunteers that turned out last Friday to scour the community to help in the search and the rest of us, had heavy hearts when a child's body was found on Monday afternoon, we all knew it was him.
We live in a time when this is common place. What we think is sacred ground, isn't What we think is safe, isn't. I came from one of those kind of homes. I also swore, like Pastor Ryan, to protect my child. I now promise to protect my grandchildren. You do your best. Parenting is hard work. It is constant and yes, it is draining but you always, always, always do the very best you can. Doing your best is not negotiable and while there is a sliding scale - the basics are pretty simple and if you aren't capable of that - give them to someone who will.
It has been a sad week. The media coverage is everywhere and it seems strange to turn on CNN or MSNBC and see the Story that is now ours. The police spokesman has stated thoroughly that this was not an abduction and definitively, a homicide. There will be no more daily briefings, no more communtity involvement. The next time we hear from police it will be because an arrest warrant has been issued and a suspect is in custody.
We all wear alot of different hats these days, parenting is just one of them but it is the most important. It is not easy work. Raising kids is tough. It is not about always saying yes nor always saying no. It is our jobs to protect our kids. Try protecting your kids from the news these days. A whole generation of kids live with the news of the day and what does it say when the news that a parent has killed their own child becomes common place? Time to kick up parenting a notch...
