Comforting, brave, strong and smart. These are the words that my daughter used to describe what it takes to be a Law Enforcement Officer.
You see, our sleepy town was just rocked with a tragedy. We tried to shield our kiddos from the details as much as possible, but they knew there was a “bad guy” at large and the LEOS were working diligently to catch him. Once he was in custody, I shared that news with the girls and our 7-year-old was disappointed that she wasn’t the one who got to catch him. She told me she thinks that kids should be allowed to be police officers and she’d make a good one because she’s comforting, brave, strong and smart, just like her daddy.
That conversation with my daughter really got me thinking about what it must be like to be the child of a LEO. There are thousands of Law Enforcement children across the nation who adore their LEO parents. They know their hearts and they are infinitely proud of what their LEO parent does. It makes me sad that so many children have to be told not to share with people what their moms and dads do for a living in order to protect them from a society so filled with hatred for their heroes. We, personally, are blessed to live in a part of the country that is very Law Enforcement friendly, but we are still cautious when it comes to sharing many details. We have to survey the crowd and build some trust before divulging too much since we never know who may be connected to someone my husband has had encounters with.
Our children are still pretty young, but I can see how their understanding of their daddy’s career is changing as they grow. They haven’t yet reached the point of feeling scared for their dad, but I know that time will inevitably come and it makes my heart sink. We have always vowed not to lie to our kids, but we are very careful to only share information that is relevant to their age so as not to overwhelm them or scare them with details that might be too much. I also have a 17-year-old daughter (who my husband is blessed to call his bonus daughter) and she has been part of our journey into law enforcement from the beginning. She recently told me that she doesn’t know how I can send him off to work each night without worrying. Because of what she sees us go through, she has made it very clear that she has no intention of ever marrying a LEO.
As of right now, our 5-year-old is so enamored with what her daddy does that she plans to be a police officer who is also a ballerina. I giggle when I picture that career combination, but it forces me to think about what our girls’ futures may hold. I often wonder if any of them will follow in their daddy’s footsteps. I have such mixed feelings about this. I know that my husband and I would be proud if they pursued this career, but I don’t know how I’d ever relax knowing they were doing a job that requires body armor. I try hard not to think too far into the future and instead keep life light and live intentionally in the present. The future will be here soon enough and there is no sense in worrying about something that may never happen.
Right now, I will lean on my fellow LEOWS/significant others as I navigate parenting in a LEO family and I highly recommend you all do the same because it really does take a village.
l Michelle l