Fear

Earlier this week a terrible thing happened in a town not far from me. An innocent 5-year old little girl was murdered by a teen the family knew well and had trusted. As of right now, the motive is not clear.

As a mom of a 9 year-old girl and 4 year-old boy, I sit here completely terrified. How can I prevent this from happening to us?

For me there is no greater fear than death...my own, and of those I love. One moment I want to pull my kids and husband close and never ever leave the house. Just stay here in our little bubble. But the next moment I tell myself I will not let fear run my life. Is there a happy medium? Who knows? I'm sure this family thought they were fine. The girl was at her grandparent's house, as she often was, with a friend she often saw. They believed he was a good kid...he routinely helped the grandfather with chores around the house. What would make him do such a heinous thing?

I don't watch the news...and this is why. If I saw all the bad in the world, it would consume me. It would keep me up at night. It may sound like I am choosing to be ignorant..and maybe to some degree I am, but for my own sanity, I need to try and stay positive. That does not mean I am stupid or blissfully unaware. I am careful about everything I do, especially when it comes to my kids.

Sometimes my husband, and his family, who live in a rural town, think my city upbringing has made me paranoid. My husband used to laugh when I would lock our car doors in our own driveway. He's since reformed and become more careful after breaking free of his sheltered small-town bubble.

There is a lot of bad in the world...but I do believe there is good too. I see it all the time. It's extremely sad that there are people that, for whatever reason, feel the need to harm others. I just don't understand it.

How do people become pychotic?

In the wake of tragedy, I think everyone asks: Why? How did he get to be that way?

I like to think babies are not born psychotic. But could they be born with mental illness? And without proper care, it can turn into something serious?

Are people products of their environment? I think a person's upbringing has a lot to do with how they turn out. Children of poverty have more obstacles to overcome.

Are parents 100% to blame for how their child turns out? Our job as parents is to mold children into who they should become, teach them right from wrong, teach respect and kindness. But sometimes even despite our best efforts, they turn out differently. Are parents still to blame? Should they have noticed something sooner? I think all parents should be aware of what their children are doing. No one becomes psychotic overnight. I think it takes years.