Here you are, 9-months-old, happily jumping in our bedroom doorway. You are so sweet, so innocent, so unaware of the circumstances of today. 
Today a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub and killed at least 50 people. The FBI is calling it terrorism. It is the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history and it happened in the town we call home. I have been to that nightclub before, celebrating a friend’s birthday years ago. I can picture what it looks like inside. There are a bunch of white couches and mirrors and two bars where people dance and party. Everybody I met there was kind and fun. We danced. We laughed. We had fun.
Last night that fun abruptly stopped. A man full of hate came in with a gun. He tore apart dozens of families. I’m assuming at this point (because so much has yet to be determined about the shooter or the motive) that he did it because the people inside were different from him. They have a different lifestyle. They have different religious beliefs. Some of them, perhaps, live by a different moral code than the majority of society. So, he killed them.
What I want you to know, my sweet boy, is that there are terrible people in this world. At some point, someone will hurt you. Your job is to be one of the good guys. You don’t have to love everyone. You don’t have to agree with everyone. But you do have to respect them. Let your voice be heard. But speak with only your mouth and mind, never with violence.
That said, you do have the right to protect yourself. Always protect yourself and those whom you love. Only then is it acceptable to resort to violence. Understand that I am talking about true, physical danger: a threat to your life, not to your lifestyle.
I could be cliché and say I’m scared of the world you will be raised in, but I am not afraid. You are already changing the world, my sweet boy. I see it in your eyes. They are full of kindness. It is my job as a Mother to make sure that kindness never goes away. And there are thousands of babies born every day to parents who feel the same way.
Yes, we live in a time of terror. But I believe this is only a hiccup in history. I have faith that your generation can fix the world. But I am sorry it falls into your hands. You are amazing, my sweet boy.
Love,
Mama
mamabeargreen 