It used to be so easy to blame the parents before I had kids. Now, when tragedies like the one at University of Virginia happen, I am not so quick to judge. It is hard to believe the parents of the accused had no inkling that he had anger issues but not impossible.
We raise our kids the best we can. We try to teach them values, morals and good judgement. But in the end, they make decisions for themselves. They may make terrible decisions. They may make decisions clouded with alcohol and drugs. They may make decisions that give us pause and question our loyalty and love. But do their actions mean we turn our backs or do we defend them as the person we thought we knew them to be? Does one decision change their history? I used to think yes. I used to be very clear headed. Now, I am a parent and it all just seems more confusing than ever. I feel for the parents of the accused. I wonder what they are thinking right now about their boy and I wish they never had to. Their boy is gone. That is awful. Whether they played a part or could have prevented it, doesn’t make the tragedy any less. Whether you think they are to blame or not.
One thing is for certain. There is one set of parents today that clearly deserves all of our sympathy and prayers for losing a beautiful girl. We should think of the Love’s often and hug our kids a little tighter tonight.
