Open Letter to Parents Struggling with the Pandemic

I came across the story about the little girl in Nampa that was killed in the crosswalk. Such tragedy. So much sorrow for the family.

She was only a few years younger than my son and a couple from my daughter. I can't imagine how hard that must be and hope I never find out. The part that struck me was the mother's response.

She was in the obvious state of mind but it was the message to the driver that caught me. She said it's okay and we'll handle this going on to say it could have been anyone of us to make that mistake. I was shocked and envious of her strength.

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I'm not exactly sure why I had to jump in front of my computer and write this article. Maybe, it's just obvious. I said something on-air Monday afternoon that stuck with me even on an early Tuesday morning. It was something simple as me discussing the cancellation of the Idaho Steelheads season and McCall Winter Carnival being shutdown. Are we missing something? Is it possible that we're not giving each other enough credit for what life has taken from us?

My heart goes out to the family of four-year-old Kyanne. It's a tragedy and yet that mom was able to inspire me. Forgiveness is a very powerful tool. I think it's time we started forgiving ourselves during this insane pandemic.

I think of my little sweetheart, Leo as I was putting her to sleep. She just looks at me, "Daddy, lay with me. Please don't leave me." Earlier tonight she was cleaning her little kitchen and wiping the doors with her tomato. It was so sweet. I love watching my son with her because that makes me proud. Are we getting so caught up with the division and doubt about the future that we're missing out on the present part of our lives?

We are living in a time that nobody else has had to endure. Everything that makes us happy in a place like Boise has been taken from us due to the coronavirus. We take our kids to parks, the first football game, shopping for school clothes, to visit grandparents, and just local events you interact with Idahoans like yourself. Everything has been closed and grabbed from us in 2020. Kids are staying at home learning schools putting parents in very difficult and financial situations. I probably wouldn't get it if I was still a bachelor living in my apartment on Apple Street in Boise. I'm a husband now, father of two and In love with all three. The pandemic makes me look at things differently like most families.

This is uncharted territory for most of us. Nobody has the correct answer here. Maybe we should just step back and breathe. You were hit by a tsunami wave of challenges and that's not easy. It's okay. The children we raise are resilient. Parents? Not so much all the time. We make mistakes and can overthink so much. We can't always be the strongest and that's okay because we're not superhumans.

Let's congratulate ourselves for once. This pandemic will end. We will overcome all this chaos. The hardest part is to realize we're not perfect and we make mistakes. Hug your children tonight and just be thankful for what you have. Be the light. Everything else will work out and if something else happens? Deal with that when the time comes. It's hard, but it's our job. Take time to recognize that we'll try, make mistakes, and continue to do our best. That's all we can do.