Honestly, I did not want to come here. I was afraid for the safety of myself and my children. We are Christians, our names indicate that… Not only are we Christians, but we are “westerners”, our clothes indicate that… But when my father told me that he plans on this being one of his last (if not his last) trip to Cairo, Egypt, (the country he and my mom were born in and lived in for the first 30 years of their lives) and that he wanted me and my sister, as well as our kids, to join, I couldn’t say no.

Being a minority in a large, bustling city, it not a good feeling. It consumed me quite honestly for the days and weeks leading to this trip. We arrived here July 1, 2016. The unease I felt subsided quickly in seeing the joy in my parents’ faces and for the last week, I have been surrounded by nothing but the kindest of people. I have been lost in the food, the music, the culture, and the chaos of the hustle and bustle. There is something endearing about the exchanges on the street, the process of buying and haggling, and the never-ending invitations for tea and coffee wherever we go.  Even though there could be tremendous disorder, quite honestly, it is peaceful, safe and one of the greatest trips we have taken as a family thus far.

In my worry, I never imagined that while we were 7,000 miles away, such a horrific tragedy would take place in Dallas, Texas, 250 miles from my Houston home.

As I write this, 5 officers are confirmed dead and 6 more are wounded. The days leading up to this sheer travesty saw two police shootings and the loss of two lives, black lives, which has set the country stirring. The incidents in Louisiana and Minnesota are horrific and are rightfully being investigated. If an officer senselessly and for no reason killed an innocent individual, that officer must be taken off the streets. Period. It doesn’t matter to me if the victim was black, white, gay, straight, or anything otherwise. I trust those cases will be investigated and the officers involved will be either exhonerated or found guilty and dealt with accordingly.

That said, I felt compelled to comment on law enforcement and the disaster in Dallas. I firmly believe that a society that turns its back on its first responders can never and will never survive or thrive. This third world country I am currently sitting in has order thanks to the presence of its police officers. My challenge is this: before we go and join the bandwagon against law enforcement, as an entire community, can we take a moment to think what our homes, neighborhoods, schools, businesses, retailers, etc. etc. would look like if our law enforcement community weren’t suiting up each and every day for your safety and mine?

Why are we so quick to judge the work of those officers who are underpaid, overworked, and putting their lives on the line for each of us every single day? Are there bad officers? Yes. Is that the majority? Absolutely not.  These men and women have the hardest jobs in the entire world and in the midst, they are persecuted, targeted, questioned and shunned. They give their all for a world that is quick to judge and turn their backs on them and quite frankly, it breaks my heart.

As I sit here in Cairo, I realize my fears were completely misplaced. But as I think of an officer waking up in the US today, their fear might be justified. This disheartens me. In response, I want to take a stand in support of our law enforcement community. If I stand alone, it’s okay. I hope you’ll stand with me.

I love this time of year because while we are all working, it just goes without saying that we all shift a bit of our attention to pure family time. As our kids enjoy the carefree days of summer, our goal is that they stay safe morning to night.

Here’s a 10-point safety check list for you and your family. Please read it, share it with others and leave a comment below with additional safety reminders.

1. Helmets – Parents, did you know it’s illegal to allow a child under 14 years old to ride a bike without a helmet? Please remind all kids, teens (and adults!) to wear their helmets no matter what.
2. Swimming – According to the CDC, there were approximately 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings in the United States between 2005-2014. This averages about 10 deaths per day. About 1 in 5 of those deaths were children 14 and younger. For every 1 death, 5 other children are sent to the ER for nonfatal submersion injuries.
3. Home Alone – Texas law does not specify an actual age that children can stay home alone. Parents, this means it’s your call. How do you best decide? Consider the age and maturity of your children. How long will they be home alone? What time of the day or night? What area of town do you live in? Are you expecting deliveries at that time? How will they eat, what will they eat (will they have to use the stove or oven)? Who are trusted emergency adult contacts in the neighborhood they can reach out to if they need something? Do they know how to handle an emergency? While the law doesn’t give an age, the negligence argument can still be made based on these and other issues so please think this through!
4. Hot Cars – Leaving your child unattended in a car is a crime punishable under Texas law. Parents, for those of you who would never leave your child alone in a car, let’s discuss whether or not you’ve trained your child on how to get out of a hot car if they ever find themselves in one. Just this month, a young boy lost his life after he went to the family car to look for a toy. Once in the car, he could not get out and eventually died of heat stroke. Remember, in a matter of mere minutes, the temperature in a car rises to unbearable heights. Parents, take a moment TODAY to teach your child how to (1) unlock himself from his car seat and (2) get out of your car. This means, showing them how to unlock the car doors, push the horn, roll down the windows, open the doors and get out.
5. Public Bathrooms – Summer means running around town and using public restrooms when out and about. This week, news broke of a young boy, 9 years old, who was sexually assaulted in a public bathroom in Houston. Is a 9 year-old old enough to go to the bathroom alone? Of course. Is he/she old enough to fight off a predator who follows them into a restroom? I don’t think so and never want our children to even face that reality. Parents, please, talk to your child about strangers in the bathroom but beyond that, go in with them or stand by the door. There’s no reason to leave your children unattended. By the way, the person wanted in this crime is still at large.
6. Accidents – Playing outside is wonderful but accidents are the biggest risks our kids face this summer. From playgrounds to trampolines, kids are falling, bumping their heads, breaking legs and more. Run, have fun but remind kids to be safe.
7. Out Alone – While outside, reminder kids to NOT talk to strangers, to fight, yell, kick, bite and do anything and everything necessary to keep themselves safe.
8. Predators Online – We know that cyber usage spikes in the summer. PLEASE take a moment to remind children of the dangers online. If you are not aware, read the latest news from last week on Operation Broken Heart III where 126 Houston area child-predators were arrested after targeting our children.
9. Traveling – Hopefully you and your family are traveling this summer. Take a moment to give each of your children a sheet of paper that has the name of your hotel, your phone numbers while traveling and any potential friends or family you have in the area. It only take a moment to talk to your kids about “check in points” should you get lost in public places.
10. Playdates and Sleepovers – We encourage kids to go and have fun but remember to call home in the case of something uncomfortable, to never feel the pressure to engage in something they feel uncomfortable with.

Our goal is never to limit the unimaginable fun kids of all ages should have this summer. That said, our primary goal is to equip you and your kids with information that keeps you safe! We love our children, we love yours too.

Happy Summer!

Hear Rania talk more about summer safety with Freddy Cruz on 104.1 KRBE.

Doesn’t it seem like the last few weeks have been overwhelmingly sad? We’ve dealt with an active shooter in Houston; the details of a horrific rape at Stanford; the tragic killing of rising star and The Voice alum Christina Grimmie; and woke up last Sunday morning to the devastating news out of Orlando that claimed the lives of 50 and injured 50 more. In between, there were other stories that shook us, hurt us and left us shaking our heads wondering what was going on with our world and our society?

There is so much we could discuss if we focused on any one of those tragedies but this weekend, Sunday Mornings with Rania isn’t going to do that. Instead, I’m offering doses of purely happy news that reminds us just how much goodness there is in our city, in this world and in humanity.

Take a look with me and share this uplifting news with others, will you? 

The horrific tragedy in Orlando will never be forgotten, nor will the outpouring of love that has followed. Here’s a snapshot of this outpouring:

• A grandmother who lost her grandson at the Pulse nightclub rampage took a free JetBlue flight to be with her family. Knowing the reason for her trip, the flight attendants cared for this grandmother from check-in through the entire flight to landing. Additionally, they quietly asked passengers if they wanted to “sign their names” on a piece of paper in an effort to share love with this grieving woman. By the time the plane landed, that one piece of paper turned into pages and pages and pages of notes, words of encouragement, and messages of peace, love and more. In addition to collecting unsolicited monetary donations, while the plane de-boarded, passenger after passenger stopped at this woman’s feet to share their condolences, cry, offer hugs and prayers. An outpouring of love towards a woman unknown to these passengers that reminds us we are all in this together and at the end of the day, when it really counts, we share each other’s pain.
• Vigils took place across the globe in support of Orlando. Our own Mayor Sylvester Turner held a moving and beautiful ceremony in Houston this past week. Hundreds of Houstonians joined along with Houston City Council and other elected officials.
• Across the pond, The London Gay Men’s Choir sang a beautiful tribute “We Stand with Orlando” in a busy London square. Thousands took to the streets in peaceful harmony and to join and sing with the choir.
• Mavericks Owner and “shark” on popular show Shark Tank Mark Cuban is donating $1 million to fund the Dallas Police Departments presence in the city’s LGBT most populous areas. Working to preemptively thwart violence against each other is one of the best tools we have to keep each other safe.

Extremists not welcome
This is pretty neat. Next week, tens of thousands of young people from across the Middle East will participate in an online peace conference. The YaLa Young Leaders program, a Facebook group, has grown to approximately 1 million members. At their conference next week, actress Sharon Stone, former NBA Commissioner David Stern, EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini and more than 20 other foreign ministers are scheduled to speak. YaLa’s founder, Uri Savir, says that more and more young people across the Arab world detest extremism and want to work harder towards a simple, peaceful and normal life. Through dialogue and community building, they are taking steps to get there.

Three friends at a bar stop a rapist with a plan
About two weeks ago, three women were having drinks at Fig and Fairmont in Santa Monica. Across the bar, they admired a young couple, talking, laughing, and having a great time. It was sweet to see until the young woman got up to use the restroom and her date discretely poured something out of a vial into his date’s drink. Upon returning from the bathroom, the three friends got the attention of the young woman and shared what they saw; they also informed the bartender who called the police.

The young woman went back to her date, ate for a bit but never sipped on her drink despite her date’s repeated coaxing and attempts to “cheers”. When police arrived, to the young man’s dismay, they were able to determine that he did, in fact, drug her drink. He was immediately arrested.

When police asked where this young woman’s car was she explained that it was at her date’s apartment. “He thought it would be better if we met there and rode back and forth together in his car.” He had a plan (drug her and bring her back to his place) but it was foiled thanks to the three friends and their love for this young woman, totally unknown to them, but valued and worth their efforts to keep safe. After his arrest, other women in the bar came to say thank you and share their personal stories. What a great thing . . . women helping women, people protecting each other, simply because it’s the right thing to do.

We love our Dads!

And in closing, here’s some information about this special day, Father’s Day. Did you know that Father’s Day is the fourth-largest card-sending holiday with 74 million cards given every year? According to the US Census Bureau estimate gathered around the same time, there were 70 million fathers in the United States. Most recently, we have seen dads adapt to changing times. As of 2015, there were an estimated 199,000 stay-at-home dads, men who make the choice to stay home, care for the house and kids while their spouses work.

Thank you to all Dads for being there, for loving your families and meaning so much to all of us! Of course, I give a special shout out to my own father, Onsy Makar, and husband, Ramy Mankarious, two men I love more than anything else in the world.

As you and your loved ones gather together this weekend, take the time to celebrate love, family, life, peace, health, happiness and safety. We have good lives, we are blessed, and we are going to be there for each other. Nothing will ever change that.

According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, nearly one in five college women were victims of rape or attempted rape during their freshman year, with the most falling prey during the “red zone” or the first three months on campus. A Brown professor’s study led her to conclude that “rape is a common experience among college-aged women.”

A common experience. Wow.

This reality came to light this past month when the details of the Stanford rape case unfolded in court. A Stanford athlete was unanimously found guilty for raping a woman he met at a party. The assault took place behind dumpsters on campus. She was unconscious.

Lady Gaga captured our hearts when she sang “Till it Happens to You” at the 2016 Oscars. She was joined by fellow rape survivors, all standing with her in an image of powerful unison. The victim/survivor in the Stanford rape case captured our attention when she anonymously penned a poignant letter detailing the horrific occurrence as well as the further victimization she felt in her quest to seek justice. Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Representative Ted Poe, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, actresses Lena Dunham, Brie Larson and millions of others all over the world have read, commented, shared and responded to her letter. Over one million have signed a petition to remove the presiding judge in the case, Judge Aaron Persky, as punishment for handing down an extremely lenient penalty of a six-month sentence (down to three months for good behavior) to the former Stanford University athlete.

This case and her letter have left society with no choice but to start asking some very serious questions. We are starting to agree that the “culture of silence” around rape must be changed. This change must start with you and me, our daughters and sons. In the case of the Stanford rape, the father of the suspect didn’t describe the event as “rape” but as “20 minutes of action.” What an example of how not to raise our kids.

Let’s do the opposite and start talking to our kids today:

• It can be assumed that in the moment of rape, the assailant has dehumanized the victim. Simply put, a rapist does not care about his victim. Parents, let’s raise our kids, starting from the very beginning, to feel for, respect and see the value in every person, regardless of the relationship. Build the notion of empathy, respect and decency in all kids, at every age and in any situation.
• Raise kids to be responsible. Whether they are dating or spending time with a friend or a significant other, let’s have them feel responsible for and interested in protecting each other at all times.
• Think through where our kids spend their time. If they are always online, what are they looking at? What are they reading? What images are they digesting? Realize that, for example, kids who spend time digesting images that disrespect women are more likely to treat women with a similar level of disregard. Parents, let’s challenge all of our kids to be better and not buy into this type of imagery.
• Remind your kids that use of drugs or alcohol never mitigates the legal consequences of a situation. An unconscious, inebriated person cannot legally consent. The only thing to do with an intoxicated person is make sure he or she gets home safely. Also, parents, what would you do if your child made the wrong choice? While it is difficult, I applaud the parents that make it clear to their child what the consequences are (everything from paying a fine, getting kicked out of school to spending time behind bars) and that they will be expected to bear them.
• Clothes mean nothing; her words mean everything. Boys, we don’t care what she is wearing, how she is dancing or if she even allows intimacy to start. Once she says “no,” or is too inebriated to say “yes,” it’s over. Only yes means yes, and no always means no.

Important safety reminders:

• Go out, have fun and be smart. Don’t go out alone. Stay with your friends. As soon as you start engaging in drugs and/or alcohol, you are leaving the safety of yourself 100 percent in the hands of others. This is a huge gamble. Have a safety plan in place, and surround yourself with people you trust.
• Never leave a drink unattended, anywhere. Hold onto it wherever you are or get another one.

Parents, let’s talk to our kids now, in an age-appropriate manner and do our part to ensure they will make the right decisions in the future. Raise kids who will do everything possible to stay safe and prioritize the safety of others. Raise kids who will pay attention to whether others seem like they are in an unsafe situation, and who will intervene. Raise kids who are strong enough to respect others.

Our kids’ behavior starts with us. Do you agree?

Here’s the problem. We think it can never happen here. We see the news, follow the headlines and shake our heads when we read about it elsewhere, but deep inside, we think it just could not happen here. Sadly, mass shootings are the new phenomenon and this week, one took place in our backyard, on a beautiful Sunday, in a great part of town, in a busy part of the city. We lost an innocent victim, Gene Linscomb, a well-loved community member from Memorial, father to a recent fifth grade graduate from Frostwood Elementary School. Additionally, six others were directly injured but, thankfully, are expected to survive.

Our hearts break for our friends and neighbors who were in the crossfire last week. We thank the law enforcement who ran into the gun fire and did their all to keep us safe and we ask that we as a community come together, learn the risks, identify the potential targets and do whatever we can to proactively stop the violence. Our lives and livelihood depend on it.

President Obama has declared that “we have a pattern of mass shootingsthat has no parallel anywhere else in the world.” According to Mass Shooting Tracker, which defines a “mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people were killed or wounded, there were 372 mass shootings in the US in 2015, killing 475 and wounding 1,870. According to the same source, there have been more than 120 in 2016.

People across the nation will argue these facts, discuss gun reform and make this political. They’ll say we need to redefine what “mass shootings” are and create a list of factors that must be met before a mass shooting can be labeled a “mass shooting.”

For me, I refuse to get tied up in the weeds. For me, this conversation is not a 2nd amendment issue and I firmly set aside the political discussion. For me, I think of those killed, those injured and those traumatized for being in, near or connected to the scene. My focus is to make sure you are aware of what to do should this ever happen in your neighborhood, school, local mall, movie theater, place of business, etc.

I spoke to Chief J.D. Sanders and Assistant Chief Ray Schultz with the Memorial Villages Police Department. We had a long conversation and they offered great insight:

• The probability of a mass shooting taking place is very rare.
• That said, it can happen and does happen; what you need to know is law enforcement is trained for mass shootings in any and all situations.
• If you are ever in a situation where a shooter is on premise, the recommendation is to immediately run/fight/hide. If the shooter is outside a facility that you are in, the recommendation is to shelter-in-place or leave only if advised to do so by local law enforcement.
• Always listen to law enforcement but remember, law enforcement in these situations must determine who and where the threat comes from; understand they are focused on getting the shooter and keeping innocent lives safe in the process.
• Don’t panic, stay calm.
• Most importantly, live your life; do not let fear affect your day-to-day activities but always remain vigilant.

While we know that more than one-third of mass killers die on scene, it’s still critically important to understand why these individuals engage in these tragic events. The triggers have been studied. Here’s what we have found:

• 53 percent of the time, the killer is out to kill family members.
• 21 percent of the time, the killer has a connection to the victim but it is not familial (workplace violence falls in this category or school bullying).
• 15 percent of the time, the killer is killing randomly.
• 10 percent of the time, the killing is done in conjunction with another criminal activity (robbery/burglary).
• Beyond this, we know that mass killers have triggers which include but are not limited to the significance of holidays, financial stress, breakups or impulses derived from a compromised mental state.

Mass shootings are an inexpressible tragedy. What’s even worse than the senseless killing is the fact that often, these occurrences can be stopped before they take place. Many times the killer has left signs, told someone, made plans that others knew about. Our goal is to get people to say something, tell someone, before innocent lives are lost.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions may be directed to the Emma Grace Linscomb Education Fund established at Chase Bank Town & Country, 12802 Memorial Drive, Houston, TX, 77024 in care of Robin Mantor.