As a mom, grandma and governor of Iowa, I believe we have an

When Kim Reynolds declared, “As a mom, grandma and governor of Iowa, I believe we have an opportunity and a responsibility to combat the teen vaping epidemic,” she did not speak merely as a leader of a state, but as a guardian of generations. Her words carry the tone of one who sees beyond policy and into the hearth of the home, for she speaks as one who has nurtured, who has watched children grow, stumble, and rise again. The call here is not political alone; it is maternal, ancestral, and deeply human.

The meaning of her words is woven in the tension between opportunity and responsibility. Opportunity is the gift of time and circumstance—the chance to act before harm becomes too deep, before a habit becomes a chain. Responsibility is the weight laid upon those who see and cannot turn away. By binding these two together, Reynolds reminds us that chance without duty is wasted, and duty without timing is ineffective. The teen vaping epidemic is but one name for the countless snares that youth encounter, but her teaching reaches further: it is the duty of elders to shield and to guide, not with silence, but with courage.

History offers us parallels. Consider the Athenian statesman Solon, who when asked why he burdened himself with laws and reforms, answered that he did so for the sake of those too young to protect themselves. He recognized, as Reynolds does, that those in positions of authority must look not only to their peers, but to the children whose voices are not yet strong enough to shape the world. When Solon struck down practices that enslaved the poor, he acted both as lawgiver and as protector. Reynolds’s cry against vaping echoes this ancient truth: that leadership is measured by how it safeguards the innocent.

Her words also remind us of the rhythm of legacy. To speak as a grandma is to carry the perspective of long years, to know how swiftly youth passes and how choices made in the flush of adolescence echo into the decades of adulthood. She speaks not only to the present, but to the future, urging her listeners to see beyond the haze of temporary pleasures and into the horizon of health, strength, and dignity. The epidemic of which she speaks is not merely of lungs and vapor, but of distracted souls, of futures clouded too soon.

The teaching is powerful: every generation must guard the next. Just as the Spartans once trained their sons not merely in arms but in discipline and honor, so must modern societies arm their children against invisible battles. The weapon today is not shield or spear, but truth, awareness, and courage to say “no” when the world whispers “yes.” To combat the teen vaping epidemic is to wage a war for clarity, for sovereignty of the body, for the strength of a people.

From her statement, a lesson emerges: when confronted with the weaknesses of the young, do not stand aside in judgment or despair. Step forward, take responsibility, and shape the path. Each person, whether parent, teacher, neighbor, or leader, has a role to play. You may not write laws, but you can speak wisdom. You may not command armies, but you can protect one heart at a time. This is how societies endure: not through neglect, but through guardianship.

Practically, let us act. Teach the young not through fear, but through knowledge. Create spaces where they may feel seen, heard, and guided. Challenge industries that prey on youth with deceptive allure, and support leaders who choose responsibility over comfort. And within your own home, speak with courage. Do not let silence be the teacher; let wisdom be the voice they remember.

Thus the words of Kim Reynolds must echo not only in Iowa but across all lands: that we are each custodians of tomorrow. To be mom, to be grandma, to be governor, is but to name the many faces of stewardship. And the teaching is eternal—opportunity and responsibility are never separate, but are bound together as twin pillars upon which the future rests. May we, like her, rise to the task.