When I was in elementary school, our school did this puppet show performance thing about the effects of the atomic bomb after World War II which followed the life of a little girl who slowly passed away due to her failing health. I remember coming home not understanding why innocent individuals paid for the disputes and disagreements of those in power positions.

And I grew up still not understanding the point of it.

So that's why I still curiously inquire about why we are doing what we are doing. Why should children have to pay for the mistakes of our failed leadership?

Because they shouldn't have to.

If we fail to learn from our mistakes, then we are eerily doomed to repeat them. And we are well on our way to doing so.

It is not enough to consume a politician's promise of ending it after everyone is outraged. The principle of the matter all has to do with the fact that there is already blood on our leaders' hands.

I almost feel as if I've been walking on eggshells with this issue, and the thought of kids being separated from their families and not cared for struck a chord with me that has kept me up at night. I don't know why this has been something that I've found so difficult to talk about, but I think that means that it needs to be talked about. I'm not a mom, but you don't need to be to understand that the situation is wrong. You don't have to be a parent to understand that separating a child from their mother is inhumane, and you don't have to be a genius to know that using fear to push already scared people around isn't right.

Our children are paying for the sins of our leadership. And our leaders get a free-pass for being unaffected, and for stopping something that they've already started. You're not a hero for cleaning up the mess you've been telling everyone that you're about to make.

You're not a leader if you can't take responsibility for your actions. And you should be held accountable to the people you serve in your leadership position.

It isn't enough to be outraged anymore. It's not enough to be pissed off. It's not even enough to open up the conversation on this. We have to hold our leadership accountable for their actions. If you're going to be a leader then act like it. Pay for the sins of your crimes.

Hold your leaders to the standards you would your own children. It seems juvenile but if someone is going to act like a toddler then they will be, well, treated accordingly. If we are going to be repeating the same mistakes that posted a blemish on our past then we should, too, be treated accordingly.

Don't let the conversation die. The rug is not large enough this time to sweep stuff like this under it. Don't let corrupt leadership get away with murder.

America, we're better than that.

Really, we're better than this.