Help Wanted
Posted By Tough Cookie Mommy on October 19, 2009
Today was a glorious day as my brother and my sister in law welcomed their second little bundle of joy into the world, Lucas. This makes me five times an Aunt and I was just as emotional and overjoyed as I was the other four times. If anything, it was just that much sweeter because I am his Godmother and his Aunt. I eagerly watched the clock all day, at work, waiting for the moment that I would be able to see him and love him.
As I was driving to the hospital to welcome the newest member of the family, I came across two siblings that were crossing the street together in the area around the hospital. The older boy couldn’t have been older than ten years old and the younger boy was maybe around age five. They stood in the middle of the street paying close attention to the cars that were passing by as they held on to each other for dear life. It was obvious that they were scared to death to be crossing such a large street alone without an adult. My husband and I immediately stopped the car to stop traffic behind us so these children could cross the street safely.
I immediately turned around to look at my three year old son who was had been safely buckled into his car seat with such love and tenderness and I was overcome with sadness. Here we were on our way to the hospital to meet a newborn child who is already so loved and protected by our family. Here my son sat safely in my vehicle snug in his new winter coat while these children were in the street, fending for themselves at such a young age in an incredibly cruel world.
It made me angry and sad at their parents all at the same time. The anger was caused by their neglect and the fact that they obviously did not understand what a blessing it is to be given the gift of parenting a child. The sadness was caused by the fact that, if and when they realize their mistakes, it will probably be too late for them to rectify them. Many parents don’t realize that we are given a fleeting moment to parent and impact the lives of our children. Before we know it, they are off to make their own lives and we are left to reflect on whether or not we did the job justice.
When you become a parent, your needs are not relevant anymore. The needs of your children supersede any wants, needs, or desires that you may have. They did not ask to be born into this world, you created them. Too many times, I see parents worrying more about preserving their social lives or catering to their own selfish needs and not addressing the needs of their children. Don’t misunderstand, I know even parents need some “me” time once in awhile. However, when there is more “me” time than Mommy or Daddy time, something is clearly wrong. Also, it goes without saying that when you are barely around to supervise if your children are safe, chances are, you need to reevaluate your parenting skills. So, for those of you who still haven’t realized what an honor it is to be someone’s parent or, for those considering parenthood, I have taken the liberty of creating a job description…
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