I'm a parent, not a politician. My speeches on the house floor are delivered to an audience of tweens, and my policies address the regulation of screen time, or the personal responsibility of finishing homework. 

I love living in the place where I grew up, working at the school where my parents taught for over 30 years. But like any parent, I will not sit by while my children are in harm's way—as schools become war zones, freedoms are stolen, and healthcare is denied. I grew up in a Missouri that valued community, personal safety, and individual liberty. We weren't held captive to partisanship; we elected representatives to fight on behalf of everyday families.

Today, that representation is gone. For too long, the elected officials in District 89 have been more concerned with the special interests of donors, Super PACS, and corporations than with our well-being. Today's Show Me State is unrecognizable to the one I grew up in.

If this is the Show Me State, it's time for all of us to stand up and say, show me how your policies protect our children; show me how your laws elevate liberty; show me how our public servants serve citizens, not just ginned-up Washington culture wars.

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We have the duty and opportunity to step up for our kids, stand with our neighbors, and reclaim our communities—to demand a legislature that gets results. After all, isn't that what you would do for your kids?