I know it's absurd to cry over people tailgating me. I know. But as I merged onto the highway after a swim with my three-year-old and another Karen in a giant, black SUV zoomed past us in our dorky Prius, the usual tingle in my nose that comes with the unhealed trauma of being bullied as a kid morphed into something bigger than me.

I teared up like usual for the sensitive little girl who got picked on by exactly the type of people who became Karens and cops, but also for my little boy, whom we're raising to feel feelings, ask questions, and love big. What will the world make of him when public school makes him part of society, when he shares space with kids who are taught to uphold things like toxic masculinity? Will the mechanisms of the status quo trample his silly proclivities, his nerdy inclinations, his softness? Will his complete lack of athleticism make him a target for the kids who learn to emulate their parents antiquated and normative ideas?

It takes so much effort to raise a tender-hearted kid. I just hope the world is ready for them.

TL;DR I'm in my feels and really hate townies.