Putting Your Children First

The following essay appeared in the Des Moines Register. It was my response to one written by Judge Robert J. Blink. I found his writing, his heart and beliefs very powerful, and wanted to respond to what he had written.

His essay was entitled, LOST SOULS AND SAINTS….and thus I wrote:

This essay spoke to me…and as a nurse who worked in an inner-city hospital in Chicago on the labor and delivery unit, I saw many women and their partners who needed guidance in understanding what it truly means to be a parent.

I did try, in the time I had with each of them, to impart the importance of love and communication with the tiny infant. I tried to let them know that every action a child witnesses has a profound effect on their growth and development. Children remember and react to love and tenderness. They also remember and react to shouting, anger and violence, or when the television means more to them than a child.

We owe more than we realize to those in the trenches who try to rescue children every day, as we are often up against so much–thoughtlessness, selfishness, drugs, alcohol, poverty and a culture that would rather watch violence and sexual aberration, than aspire to create a gentle and peaceful environment for their child.

I will always thank those who work in the medical and hospital system, who often become the first tender hands and voice an infant or a child experiences. And having seen how a newborn is sometimes received, I can only hope that more women and their partners will discard self-centered living, that they will turn to see that nothing else really matters. THIS IS THEIR CHILD, a newborn who needs love, attention, and those things in life that will help them grow. Holding them gently, singing to them, talking to them right after birth so that a mother and father’s voice becomes HOME, LOVE, CALM, even JOY.  

We are need to remember that as parents we are blessed…creating and bringing a child into the world…and that is just the beginning.

Yes, there is birth, and often rejoicing. But what must follow is giving, sacrifice, and dedication to the child brought into the world, each needing to be a loved and cherished as a singular and special human being. Thanks for reading. 

P.S. Today is our first child’s birthday…Caroline always a gift, who taught us much about love and giving.