By Heidi Ganahl | Rocky Mountain Voice
Today, kids across the country made handmade cards, cooked up a breakfast in bed and tried to tiptoe around the house to let their precious mommas get a bit more sleep. It’s the day of the year we celebrate the hard-working, loving, ever-giving matriarch of the family: Mother’s Day!
Moms have been in the eye of the storm the last few years, navigating the upheaval in our lives from the aftermath of Covid, managing slim budgets because of inflation and helping our children facing mental health issues at record rates. Moms have also been a force to be reckoned with politically, fiercely advocating for our kids around education, healthcare, woke craziness and a society that doesn’t want us parents in control.
The women of Colorado are recognizing that the decisions made at all levels of our society have a direct impact on them and their families. Women, especially moms, know they can’t stand on the sidelines anymore, we need to raise our hand and be the change we want to see in society, in government.
Moms have something very unique to offer. For most of us, we may not be soldiers on the front lines in the Middle East, but we are soldiers, nonetheless, fighting for our children’s future.
Our government is broken; it constantly breaks its promises. Moms don’t do that.
What do moms have that the government doesn’t have? We have the most primal, fundamental, instinctual force on the earth. We have the “unbreakable promise.” The promise of a mom for her family. The “unbreakable promise” that says I will always stand up for you. The “unbreakable promise” that says I will go to the ends of the Earth for you. That, I will never stop fighting for you. The “unbreakable promise” that says I will put my life on the line for you. Period. No questions asked.
The “unbreakable promise” means to us moms that we have to act. We have to use our voice, our vote, and our volunteering to stand up for our children.
For the first time in the history of America, young people are worse off than previous generations. Most parents believe our children’s America has its best days BEHIND us.
Abraham Lincoln said, a “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.” Well, my friends, we ARE the people. We ARE the government. And as Margaret Thatcher said, “If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.”
Women are the agents of change, especially when multiplied by millions. Together, we make the biggest difference. And we make that difference by starting with what we know, how to protect our kids.
There are so many threats to healthy families: teen suicide, internet predators, child abuse, our failing education system, drugs, school shooters, our broken family court system.
Strong families create healthier and safer environments, so it’s up to us, not the flawed legal, political, and economic systems we find ourselves in, to be our own watchdogs.
Ronald Reagan said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
The “unbreakable promise” is an individual commitment of the highest order. It’s a truth bigger than any other a parent can have. Now just imagine what happens when we multiply this much force … this much intent … this much purpose, all standing together, all taking on the toughest issues our kids face. Forcing transparency. Forcing accountability. Forcing action for our children’s future.
It’s time to take back the responsibility for keeping our kids safe and making our state great for them again. The government isn’t doing it. The politicians aren’t doing it. The schools aren’t doing it. Society isn’t doing it.
But Moms? We do it every day.
Today let’s celebrate more enthusiastically than ever before the moms in our lives who have stared down a society and culture that is doing all it can to tear families apart, and shepherd us through with flying colors every day. Cheers, Mommas!
This is an updated version of a column I wrote for the Colorado Springs Gazette during Covid, but it seems more relevant than ever in 2024! – Heidi
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.