Almost made it...

Too bad, Ate Paulynne's essay didn't make the folio deadline. But I now understand the stress my mom goes through everyday.


Luci once said, "Parenting is not for the weak hearted."

I did not give the statement much thought at the time. I always figured that having a child is a choice and, similar to most decisions, couples think long and hard before choosing to saddle themselves with the responsibility of raising a kid. Despite the commitment though seeing another human being through childhood, adolescence and adulthood is no easy task. Providing for them (i.e., food, clothing, shelter, medical attention and education) is one thing but keeping them safe from the world and from themselves is another.

A child, I realize, is inherently self-destructive. They fall down stairs, eat poisonous stuff, burn themselves, etc. If a parent is lucky, the child learns quickly to be careful when going up or down a flight of stairs, not put unfamailiar things inside his/her mouth and leave fire alone. But most children will commit the same mistakes over and over again. I guess they are experimenting - maybe the outcome will be different the third, the fourth time around. Who knows? Maybe they are scientists by nature. I am sure, however, that a parent who is intent on keeping his/her child out of harm's way will have to be ever vigilant.

I can only imagine the constant fear that resides within each parent's heart. Maybe it accounts for why some are perceived to be unnecessarily strict or harsh. They want their children safe. Why they opt to make decisions for their children. Mistakes are painful. What parent would stand idly by while their kid gets hurt?

In the meantime, a parent has to satisfy the demands of the world as well. Clothes have to be washed. Work, sometimes, taken home to meet deadlines. And, yes, some entertainment is needed to keep one sane.

Why choose to go through all of this? The literature on the subject proposes that children are assets, security for the future and a way by which one can achieve immortality. Maybe so. For me? Children are the ultimate manifestation of one's faith and hope. God will provide. God will look after these precious ones when parents are limited by their own mortality. The world, despite political, economic and social concerns, would continue to provide for its population's needs.

Thus, allow me to augment Auntie Luci's observation, "Parenting is for the optimistic."