When Toddlers Cry

I wrote this a few days after the 9-11 attacks on our Country

The children. They are the tokens of innocence. They are the focal point of our existence. In America we live to protect, nurture and care for them more diligently than anything else in the universe. That is why our hearts painfully bleed when toddlers cry.

 

Unlike infants who consistently cry to communicate their expressions of hunger, discomfort, and sleepiness, toddlers seldom cry without a serious reason. Sometimes they shed their tears in reaction to the sharp pinches of vaccination needles. Other times it's those cuts and bruises that get the best of them. On occasion they might give us shallow outbursts to express their tiny tempers and frustrations. But overall, toddlers tend to recover rather quickly and their routine cries rapidly turn back to laughter. This is why it hurts our soles so much when the causes for their sorrow are deeper than their skin and bones, even deeper than their awareness. I'm speaking about times when their sadness is so harsh and true that they cannot recover. I'm speaking about times so horrendous that all a child can do is cry and cry again.

 

When toddlers cry.

 

A two year old catches her breath long enough to utter the question "Mommy, why isn't daddy going to come home?"

Another two year old bursts back into tears after asking his teddy bear "Why did the bad man make mommy go away?" . The teddy bear has been clutched against his body for days. "why?" he asks repeatedly with what little air he can still muster from his tiny lungs.

 

What gentle safekeeping words can we possibly say to these children to make their ordeals go way? What actions can we possibly take to fill the enormous voids in their dispirited hearts? You don't have to be a parent to feel this frustration. You don't have to be at their side to feel their pain. To know that these children are out there suffering because they are now suddenly fatherless or motherless is unbearable. Even more incomprehensible is the reality that their parents were simply minding their own business when they lost their lives. The world feels like a shallow meaningless place when toddlers cry.

 

We as Americans have seen some hard times throughout our history. There were times when we were poor. Times when we were ill. Times when our teenagers had to shed their blood and give their lives to defend our freedom. It took an immense amount of sweat, blood and sacrifice to get us to where we are today. Looking at all of the countless types of suffering we've survived it is clear that none of them were more horrific than those times when toddlers cried.

We as Americans usually remain strong in times of devastation at the hands of the weak. We tend keep true to our faith in times when our faith seems to lack an explanation for the truths we experience. We do whatever it takes to hold our heads high and proceed despite our trembling knees and racing heartbeats. We always manage to keep a strong grip on everything until... until we hear toddlers cry.

 

When we were young, our forefathers warned us that the world can be a cruel place. Unfortunately over the years we managed to discount those warnings and regard them as faint echoes of rugged times that are since long gone. Perhaps we mistakenly gave humanity too much credit. Perhaps the goodness of our soles distorted our vision so much that we mistakenly assumed that all humans were as kind and gentle as we. Or perhaps it was just a pure miracle that some of our generations were fortunate enough to live without witnessing the true evil that has resided amongst us all along. Whether it was caused by an unforeseen mistake or an unlikely miracle, the fact that the attack on America was unexpected has surely amplified our inability to cope with these times when toddlers cry.

 

Many of us Americans just discovered that we live in times when evildoers intentionally destroy our buildings, sink our ships, and steal our aircraft. Their devastating acts cost us our jobs, our money, our homes and unfortunately, many of our lives. They burn our flag to symbolize how much they despise and hate our faith in our concept of "liberty and justice for all". They label us "Satan" and erroneously preach to others that we are evil. But despite the fact that they attack us in every conceivable way, shape and form, nothing phases us more painfully than knowing that some of our children are suffering. All of America becomes ground zero when toddlers cry.

 

Our numbness has turned into sorrow. Our sorrow is turning into anger. Our anger will lead towards revenge. Some will argue that to fight violence with more violence is evil within itself. They are wrong. Some will preach that there are non-aggressive ways to defeat the evil. They too are wrong. This is America. It took firearms and bayonets to declare our freedom. It took bloodshed and aggression to maintain that freedom and build the greatness we are today. Unfortunately, it will require more deadly force to defend our existence and overcome the new evil. This is part of who we are. Americans do not endorse violence. But Americans also will not hesitate to use any means available to defend our free society. When we strike back with all of our might, the world must never forget that we didn’t ask for this battle. The world must never forget that it was the evildoers who declared this war when they made our toddlers cry.

 

We may never know or understand exactly why we were attacked. We may never capture and bring to justice all of the responsible soles. Worst of all, we will probably never permanently rid the world of evil. Despite all these shortcomings, we are extremely proud to be Americans. This the home of the free and the land of the brave. We fly our flags by the millions around the word because we are proud that nothing will ever shatter our unity. We are proud that we live in a great Country where there is indeed a whole lot more good than there is evil. Most important of all, we are proud to support the fight that is necessary to bring an end to these times when toddlers cry.

 

We know that times are going to get even tougher before they get easier. There are going to be moments when we feel ourselves being overcome by the thought of what has happened or what might happen next. When we feel these frustrations and have those doubts we need to provide support and welfare to each other. Our ability to pull together in times of need is our most powerful asset. Our unity is stronger than any other force in the universe because it is blind to race, sex, color, or religion. It's the very essence of the American way. The strong bonds of brotherhood within our union will prove to be the remedy needed to force closure to these times when toddlers cry.

 

Confidence is our other invaluable weapon. Maintain confidence in our heroic leaders. They are among the most peerless individuals in the world. That is why we chose them from amongst the many. Whenever we have concerns about the safety of our children, have confidence in our brave protectors. Whenever we find ourselves or our loved ones in harms way, have confidence in our courageous rescuers. Whenever we feel any sort of doubt about anything, have confidence in the incredible strength and power of Americans when we are united. Above everything else, have confidence in yourself. Be confident that we will see justice and an end to these times when toddlers cry.

 

The children. They are the tokens of innocence. They are the focal point of our existence. In America we live to protect, nurture and care for them more diligently than anything else in the universe. That is why our hearts painfully bleed when toddlers cry.