I remember one of the thoughts that crossed my mind on September 11, 2001 was how scary the world can be, and whether or not I wanted to raise my children when things seemed so bad.  This was 3 years before I even became a mother, but the thought of evil and how it would impact my future children was already starting.

As an adult, you see hatred and bullying all over the place.  People have zero tolerance for anything it seems.  People not only lack manners, but they lack any sort of social skills at all!   It's pathetic, sad, and again, for the future of my children, it terrifies me.

My children come from a home full of love.  They are doted on as though there were nothing in the world more fabulous than them.  Our home is a safe haven.  They are accepted, appreciated, respected, and guided in a way that will make them turn into the same type of adult.

It's the rest of the world that is out of my control.  It's the inability to control what my children face.  What type of people they encounter.  What types of situations they are put in.

I can't control that, and it drives me insane.

What I can control, though, is teaching them how to react.  How to show acceptance in a world where every little difference is criticized.  To appreciate, even when others make them feel unappreciated.  To  respect others, even when there is not much going on in return.  But most importantly, to know, that no matter how cruel the world can be, that they are still the most amazing, wonderful, incredible human beings, and no amount of negativity will ever change that.

...and if they have trouble grasping that concept, I can't force it on them, but I can guarantee that they will forever have that safe haven at home, where there is nothing in the world more fabulous than them.