Hey, moms! It’s time to don that courageous face again—because let’s be honest, we need it more than ever!
Back in 1999, when two teenagers unleashed horror in a Colorado high school, I was an anxious new mom with a squirmy one-year-old in my arms. As I gazed down at him, I thought, “How on earth can I ever let him go?” But I did. With a brave face firmly in place, I began the journey of sending him out into a world that felt increasingly daunting. It’s simply what mothers do.
Fast forward to September 11, 2001. I had two little ones under the age of three, and there I stood in my kitchen, paralyzed with tears as the tragic events unfolded on the screen. My kids were clinging to my legs, and I couldn’t help but wonder, “What kind of world have I brought them into?” But once again, I plastered on that brave face and carried on.
The heartbreak continued in 2012 when a tragic event claimed 26 innocent lives at a Connecticut elementary school. I had a first-grader at the time, and sending him off to school the next day felt like climbing Mount Everest. Yet, I did it. Because that’s just what mothers do.
Then there were the movie theater shootings. How could I ever let my teenagers enjoy a night at the movies again? You guessed it—brave face activated!
In 2007, Virginia Tech shook the nation with another tragedy, claiming 32 lives. I worried about the day I’d have to leave my baby at college. But guess what? I did it, just like countless other moms do each year—standing proudly at dorm curbs, boot camps, and police academies. We watch them step into the big, scary world, our brave faces firmly in place.
But let’s be real: my brave face is pretty worn out. It’s tired, frayed, and sometimes, downright anxious. Yet, it’s always there, ready for action. The truth is, I can’t keep my kids under lock and key forever. I can’t drown in despair over tragedies or suffocate in a cloud of what-ifs. I can’t promise them a perfectly safe future—that would be absurd. But I can promise that I’ll keep that brave face on for them, so when they walk out the door, it’s the last thing they see.
And perhaps, just perhaps, they’ll step into the world remembering what courage and faith look like, realizing that life is meant for living, not hiding. So here’s to our brave faces, because that’s just what mothers do.
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In summary, motherhood is a journey filled with challenges that require us to put on our bravest faces. Through every tragedy and uncertainty, we endure and push our children out into the world, all while showing them the strength and resilience of our love.