An Indiana mom of two small children said she wished she did not feel the need to share her idea on social media of drawing a heart on her children's hands each day before school.
Emily Solberg had no other choice, though, but to share it to netizens following Monday's horrific mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that killed 21 people. The victims in Robb Elementary School included 19 students and two teachers, according to CNN.
Solberg shared a picture of the heart of her daughter's hand with her post and message quickly going viral on social media. She opened her message by writing "Every day I send my daughter to school with a heart drawn on her hand. I tell friends and teachers it's so that when she misses me, she can look down and see a physical reminder of me. She can touch it and know that I'm always there for her, even if I can't be there with her."
Solberg reveals gut-wrenching reason behind the hearts
Solberg then told the real reason why she had a heart drawn in her daughter's hand all this time and it is gut-wrenching to say the least. Solberg wrote in her Facebook post that if her daughter ever "finds herself sitting against a wall in a dark room, hugging her knees to her chest with her blonde head bent in terror, while silent tears stream down her cheeks as her class waits for an armed gunman to try the door handle against a barricade of desks, she will know that I love her."
Solberg added that her daughter is not old enough for a phone yet so this is the only way she can say goodbye to her. Solberg wonders how long it will be before the news cycle moves on this time but she said she cannot let this go because she is a mom in America.
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Solberg's post has struck a nerve in America
That being the case, Solberg wrote she will just keep drawing hearts on her child's hand and praying the only time she needs them is when she misses her. Solberg concluded her post by writing that 21 sets of parents had their worst nightmare come true. She then asked the questions: When are we going to wake up, America? When? How many children have to die?
Solberg said that the hearts are symbolic of her unending love for her kids, and a reminder that she is always with them, even when she can't be there physically. Solberg added that her message is not a political one, but rather a visceral reminder of the state of the world right now.
Solberg told Today Parents her post has absolutely struck a nerve. She said that the responses she got range from people commenting they feel they have been punched in the gut to others who have broken down and cried.
