Remember when Facebook was a safe place to scroll through photos of old friends and cute puppy videos? Now I find myself taking a deep breath before sitting down at the computer and diving in.

Apparently, our family has been living in a bubble. A beautiful, diverse, inclusive bubble. A place where all people are accepted and we all believe in science (climate change is a FACT). Where everyone feels safe and neighbors are always there the help or lend some sugar. Where you walk down the street and you are greeted with smiles and hellos. Where teenagers get busted for their parties because they recycle their empties (true story – it’s happened more than once. Teens here risk getting grounded just to be Green). It’s called Maplewood. I’m not saying that our town is perfect, but it’s pretty darn close.

Unfortunately, the last two weeks have made it clear that some people in our country really want to pop our bubble. I’m getting scared.

Building walls, defunding NPR and the National Endowment for the Arts, potential (very conservative) judicial nominees, changes to immigration, Sessions, DeVos. Politics used to be background noise in my life and now it’s center stage — there’s so much information – my brain is spinning!

It takes a lot to get me to talk about politics. Part of it is that I want everyone to love me and being opinionated can discourage love, but the biggest reason I’ve avoided political talk is because I don’t want to be questioned. I know what I believe, but have always been a little fuzzy on the details necessary to have a chance of winning a debate.

Now that Facebook has gone from being a fun place to a scary civics lesson, I realize that it’s time for this mom to start being informed and prepared to defend her beliefs. Anna and I marched together in New York last weekend. It was a beautiful day and the energy from the crowd was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Thousands of people marching as one. Marching is a good start, but walking with sweet signs is just the beginning. I have a feeling this is going to be a long road.

This blog is about our family. Our family is the one thing in the world where I AM an expert. I am not an expert when it comes to politics, but I do know when I feel that my family is at risk – when the country that I treasure is at risk. I have done a lot for my children. I have fought with doctors and insurance companies (even an occasional pharmacist), but fighting for my children can’t stop now. Now really matters.

Love, Jess (the mother of a strong, independent young woman and a teenage boy who has special needs and more “preexisting conditions” than I can count. Oh, and a human that loves the arts, choices, our melting pot and our planet)