Column: Thanks for Listening, by Scott Schmeltzer

“Daddy’s little girl”

You’re the end of the rainbow, my pot of gold,

You’re daddy’s little girl to have and hold.

A precious gem that’s what you are,

You’re daddy’s bright and shining star.

You’re the spirit of Christmas, my star on the tree,

You’re the Easter bunny to mommy and me.

You’re sugar, you’re spice, you’re everything nice,

And you’re daddy’s little girl.

 

This is my go-to song that I sang to my daughter until, well, I still sing it to her (much to her 18-year-old embarrassment). It was a song that as a young baby and through her early teens she loved and always made her feel better.

This song was stuck in my head this past weekend as the news of the unbelievable tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School was unfolding. A total of 20 children all ages either 6 and 7 year old lost their lives and millions more their innocence as parents all over the world struggled with talking to their own children about what had happened.

I am sad.

I am mad.

As a parent, you have an unwritten obligation to always protect your children. It is the papa and mama bear syndrome. Nothing is more frustrating to a good parent than not being able to protect your child. It is like the frustration that you get at the doctor’s office when your child is sick and you cannot magically cure what ails them. All you can do is hug them, wipe their brow and make them as comfortable as possible until the pain goes away.

As the parent, you would gladly take the pain and make it your own. You go to the store and buy Sprite, Gatorade, cough drops, tissue, bandages, whatever medicine that is prescribed and anything else that will help take away any discomfort your child feels. It is all you can do.

The parents of these beautiful little angels who were taken way to soon will now carry with them the guilt of “what more could I have done?” We all know the answer in a senseless tragedy such as this is nothing more could have been done. This angers me so and makes me pray harder for these parents. To have the parental burden of burying a child is really just too much to take. Please continue to pray for the families of all of these victims as the next few weeks, months and years are going to be so tough.

Hug your kids.

Tell your family and friends you love them.

Life is too darn short.

If you want to send a card of hope and inspiration, the address to do so is:

Sandy Hook Elementary School

12 Dickenson Drive

Sandy Hook, CT 06482

 

Happy Holidays

Please go out and enjoy this next week with your family and friends. Eat, play games, unwrap presents, listen to Christmas music, watch movies and just take it all in. The holidays are a special time with loved ones. Enjoy!

Thank you to everyone who attended the Albert Lea Tribune’s Business After Hours on Tuesday evening. I hope you enjoyed all the food, gifts and cheer that the event brought you. The theme was shop local and with only a few days left before Christmas, please remember to buy and shop local when you can. Our local businesses have everything to offer you for great gifts.

 

Tribune Publisher Scott Schmeltzer’s column appears every Thursday.