I know it’s a tough question to answer and it’s even tougher when we’re confronted by the type of news we all woke up to this morning: the tragic death of 12 people and over 50 more injured at the hands of a lone shooter in Aurora, Colorado. As parents, we immediately think about how that could have been you in that theater or, even worse, your child. Tragedies can strike to any of us at any moment and that can’t stop us from living our lives, yet we want to protect our kids at all costs.

I know that firsthand since I grew up in a  war-torn El Salvador where tragedies, death and the fear of the anything-can-happen-to-you-at-anytime was prevalent. Yet, I grew up shielded from the rawness of the atrocities and the true darkness of it all. In other words, I grew up protected and with a veil over my eyes. I once regretted that, but now that I’m a mom I get it, I really get it.

Over at my Babble blog, Besos, I dig more into this story and my reasons for not wanting my daughter to know about the Aurora shootings or anything that goes on in the news until she definitely is old enough to “have” to. Here’s an excerpt of the post titled The Aurora Tragedy: Is it Even Possible to Shield Your Kids From Violence?

Am I naive in thinking that by shielding my 5-year-old daughter from real events I will protect her soul? YES I AM, and here’s why.

I grew up in El Salvador amidst a violent and bloody civil war. The war raged on until the year after I left my home country to go to college in my country of birth, the United States. The whole time I lived in El Salvador I was aware that there was political and civil unrest because there was no escaping it. I heard bombs on a semi-constant basis; I could recognize the sound of a fire cracker versus that of a shot (I still have a knack for that); I had to flee the country when in my senior year; my house had a permanent guard — rifle and all –at our front door all times; my stepdad’s cars were bullet proof; friends’ relatives were kidnapped, and on and on.

Read the entire post HERE.

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