As mothers, we are all quietly grieving today for the mothers of the Manchester victims.
We always feel a jolt of fear when we hear about random terror attacks. But this one has hit us harder than almost any other. These were kids who were targeted. Little kids, or teenagers, who were full of excitement, on a night they’d been looking forward to for so long.
We can imagine those kids, because they could be our kids.
As mothers, we feel for other mothers. We all live with the constant fear of our child being taken from us.
We are hearing the stories of parents desperately ringing their child’s phone, only to find it has gone dead. Of calling every hospital, every hotel, without finding their child. Of searching the streets of Manchester. Of begging people to share their child’s image on Facebook, praying they might still be somewhere out there, wandering around, dazed.
As the hours go by, we know they must be losing hope.

For just a second, we imagine what it would feel like to not be able to find our child after a terror attack. And then we push that feeling away, because it’s too scary.
It’s not fair. Parents can do everything right. We can have the confidence in our children to let them take a big grown-up step and have the thrill of going to their first concert on their own. Or we can buy an extra ticket for ourselves, take them to the concert even if we’re not fans, stand next to them all night… and they can still die, walking right next to us.
We can be the best parents in the world and still lose our child. It’s not fair.
Listen: Mamamia Out Loud: We need to talk about Manchester (post continues after audio...)