"Rencorosa." That's what I've been called all my life because I'm known to hold grudges. I'm not proud of it, but it is who I am. And although I've gotten much better at forgiving those who do something to hurt me, I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that it would be impossible for me to do the same with those who hurt my kids in any way, shape, or form.
That's why lately, I've been amazed by the number of parents who've somehow found a way to forgive those who've harmed their children. I was especially shocked to hear that the parents of one of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre met with Adam Lanza's dad to try to bring some closure to the tragic death of their 6-year-old daughter Emilie Parker.
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Although it's unclear whether the Parkers forgave Adam Lanza, they apparently got some questions answered and were able to get some things off their chests, according to an interview with the parents aired on CBS This Morning.
Then, there's Lashinna Burger, a mom who forgave her ex-boyfriend for beating her 2-year-old son to death and even pleaded in court for him not to get the death penalty. Earlier this week, we found out that the mother of the Steubenville, Ohio, rape victim has forgiven her daughter's rapists, even though the girl hasn't. And then we have Shawn and Jennea Gordley who have made it clear they don't blame their neighbor for accidentally shooting and killing their 16-year-old son, Caleb, thinking he was a burglar, after the teen walked into the wrong house.
Out of all these parents who've forgiven those who've hurt or killed their children, the only ones that I understand are the Gordleys. What happened to their son Caleb was absolutely tragic, but it was a total fluke, completely out of everyone's control. All the other cases were not accidents, which means those who perpetrated the crimes knew perfectly well what they were doing.
Maybe I need to get closer to God or be more religious or more forgiving, but I just don't see how that would allow me to forgive my child's killer. In the end, I guess you really have to be going through a tragedy like this to know for sure how you would react–something I pray I never ever get to find out.
Image via CBS This Morning
