Little Lane

I want to climb up on my soapbox but I don't know if I can. I am weary, emotional and sleep deprived. Yes, some of it is from Rob's crazy work schedule this week but most of it is because of Orlando. Sadly, I have become desensitized to the horrors of our fallen world. Amber alerts? I glance at them. Nightclub shootings? I say a quick prayer and then move on. But when I saw the news about the 2 year old that was pulled into the Disney lagoon by an alligator, my world came to a screeching halt. I have been praying for the family, not able to imagine their nightmare, their new life so to speak. I tried to put myself in their shoes...saving up for a big family vacation, the childrens' first plane ride, staying in a nice hotel and then the magic of Disney itself. Watching a movie, wading in the water, making memories as a family while you wait for the nightly outdoor movie to begin and then in a split second their whole world gets turned upside down. Now Disney brings nightmares instead of joyful magic. The plane ride home is somber instead of full of childish excitement. Instead of deciding what ride to go on next you're deciding what coffin to put your small child in, a child who hasn't even experienced life yet. I can't even imagine.
And here's my soapbox if you will.....the parent shamers. The ones who say, "Weren't you watching your child?", "How could you let this happen?" Instead of people having empathy, trying to imagine what it'd be like to try to pry your child out of a wild animal's jaws, finding out your child drowned a mere 10-15 feet from where you were playing less than 24 hours before, they point fingers. They make a nightmare even more unimaginable by casting blame because it's easy to do when you're sitting at a keyboard, when you've never buried your child because of an ACCIDENT. I even read where someone said, "How can you let your child go in water where alligators are?" Really? The 2 yr old was WADING in water less than 6 inches deep. It wasn't like he had gone for a swim in the lagoon. This could happen anywhere, under different circumstances, with different animals. In our old neighborhood there was a rumor that a coyote had dragged a small child away from its home and the child was never found. All because a parent let his/her child play in the front yard. Accidents happen. It doesn't give anyone the right to shame another parent. The parents need to know that they are loved and covered in prayer even if people don't personally know them. They need to have support while laying their little boy to rest. So, people stop the shaming. Grow up! And as the old saying goes that was once taught by parents all over the world, "If you don't have something nice to say then don't say it at all."