A Mother's Worst Fear

Linda's Thoughts from Duluth
I heard some terrible news on our local radio this morning. A Duluth girl in her 20's, recently moved to Dallas, Texas, was found murdered this morning. This just stabs me in the heart. All I could think about is her family and especially her Mother, because I am a Mother of a daughter. I also know that as parents, the
murder of a child is the worst fear we have (right up there with rape, kidnapping), but murder tops the list.

We try so hard to protect our children. I believe as our technology grows protecting them is becoming harder. This young girl met her Dallas boyfriend (who is the major suspect in the slaying) here in Duluth,through the INTERNET. She moved to Dallas because of her connection with the internet! She may not even have met him in person until she moved to Dallas.

This made me think about my Mother and all she did to try to protect me. This entry will relate to meeting my husband to be, not through the internet, but through a way that my Mother completely disapproved of. She tried to protect me from a fear that she had about young women dating Army guys. She was very upset when she knew I was attending dances held at the Army base. She did not want me to go there, but I was 21 and I was feeling my independence. I would not have known about the dances, but a "city" girl moved to the country. She was one year younger than me, but oh, so much "older"! I became fast friends with her, in my effort to break away from the rural life. My Mother knew this and worried about the influence she had on her daughter! She told me not to date guys from the army because "you don't know anything about them."

I believe in this day and age, 2006, mothers have the same fear for their children going online and "internet" searching for dates, friends, etc. I'll bet her Mother told her that she didn't know anything about this man and maybe pleaded with her not to move to Dallas with him. In 1968 it was meeting strangers from an army base.
In 2006 is is meeting strangers over the internet.

I can now understand my Mother’s apprehension when I told her I was marrying Bob and moving to Minnesota. She said “my dear, you have never been away from home, and do you know just how far the state of MN is?” Of course, you know what my answer was. I was in love and thought I would go anywhere with this great guy! But, she was right, I really DIDN’T know just how far Minnesota was, and I really didn’t know how much I would miss home and family. I now know too, thinking of the slain Duluth girl’s Mother, how my Mother must have worried about me (of course my Dad too), moving so far from home Bob seemed like a great guy, but really, did any of us know about his family, his friends, his home, his values other than what he presented to us? Marrying a man from our little rural area, our parents would know his parents, his family and would be pretty sure the values were the same.

I think my life turned out fine because thanks to my upbringing, I did have good instincts, and felt that this man was a good man. I had clues such has how he missed and talked a lot about his Mother and his three aunties. Family seemed to be important to him. Maybe some would say it was luck, but I believe that it was my Mother and Dad’s prayers that followed me to Minnesota, they were prayer warriors on my behalf all these years. I thank them for their prayers and support.

Yes, I feel sorry for parents today, with the internet access and interest of our children wanting to meet people from all over. In some aspects, this global thing is good, but we as parents can see the danger it could present. Our 27 year old son is very computer savvy. I have been surprised over the years that he has no interest in internet dating (he’s heard bad experiences from some of his friends). Hearing today about our local girl being murdered, I’m very relieved that he doesn’t search the internet for a relationship! (don’t change your mind Rob!).

Let us all pray for comfort for Sharon’s family. As a Mother I will follow in my Mother’s footsteps and be a prayer warrior for my three children and grand-children.

A parents love never ends......