Earlier this week I was speaking at a conference. Yes, I am still on maternity leave, but the project I was speaking about had been my baby for 18 months before I had Olivia so I wanted to see it through. Anyway, I was busy with preparations for my presentation and also had my sister staying as she was exhibiting some of her design work in London, so I hadn't really kept in touch with all my usual reading.
Yesterday morning I sat down to catch up with what has been going on in the bloggosphere and read something that deeply affected me. It was the story of a poor little boy who died tragically early in the sort of accident which no one could predict but which just makes you feel the injustice of life. When you put your child down for an afternoon nap it never enters your mind that it could be the last time you will see them alive.
As I put Olivia down in her cot yesterday afternoon I lay next to her on my bed,stroked her peachy cheek as she slept and cried. I cried tears for that poor little boy in a different country, who I had never met, and tears of fear. It reminded me just how hard loving people is. I also felt so lucky as I stoked the face of that beautiful girl and it made me cherish every second with her. I'm not a religious person but the family of that sweet boy are in my thoughts.
Being a parent is hard. The magazine stories about unusual illnesses, which I used to read with interest and then turn the page, now scare me. Even though they are mostly rare occurences they remind me of all the thousands of things that can go wrong. Worst though seems to be the accidents of everyday life where there is little warning or opportunity to say goodbye.
There is an advertising campaign on TV at the moment, and advertising obviously doesn't really work as I cannot remember what the product is but I do remember the advert. A little boy jumps on his bed and we pan upwards to see that his mother has stuck a pillow to the ceiling above his head. We move on to a birthday party where a child blows out their candles with the mother standing by with a fire extinguisher ... I get the message ... We cannot wrap our children up in cotton wool. We have to let them be children and do the sorts of things that children do and just keep them as safe as we can. We cannot possibly foresee or prevent all the things that can go wrong but we have to focus on celebrating every day of our lives and every second we spend with our children.
Being a parent IS hard, the hardest thing I have ever done, but it is also the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I am truly blessed.
Yesterday morning I sat down to catch up with what has been going on in the bloggosphere and read something that deeply affected me. It was the story of a poor little boy who died tragically early in the sort of accident which no one could predict but which just makes you feel the injustice of life. When you put your child down for an afternoon nap it never enters your mind that it could be the last time you will see them alive.
As I put Olivia down in her cot yesterday afternoon I lay next to her on my bed,stroked her peachy cheek as she slept and cried. I cried tears for that poor little boy in a different country, who I had never met, and tears of fear. It reminded me just how hard loving people is. I also felt so lucky as I stoked the face of that beautiful girl and it made me cherish every second with her. I'm not a religious person but the family of that sweet boy are in my thoughts.
Being a parent is hard. The magazine stories about unusual illnesses, which I used to read with interest and then turn the page, now scare me. Even though they are mostly rare occurences they remind me of all the thousands of things that can go wrong. Worst though seems to be the accidents of everyday life where there is little warning or opportunity to say goodbye.
There is an advertising campaign on TV at the moment, and advertising obviously doesn't really work as I cannot remember what the product is but I do remember the advert. A little boy jumps on his bed and we pan upwards to see that his mother has stuck a pillow to the ceiling above his head. We move on to a birthday party where a child blows out their candles with the mother standing by with a fire extinguisher ... I get the message ... We cannot wrap our children up in cotton wool. We have to let them be children and do the sorts of things that children do and just keep them as safe as we can. We cannot possibly foresee or prevent all the things that can go wrong but we have to focus on celebrating every day of our lives and every second we spend with our children.
Being a parent IS hard, the hardest thing I have ever done, but it is also the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I am truly blessed.
You are right...we are all so truly blessed. And thank you for posting a link about Riley's story.
ReplyDeleteI just think if his story makes more people lock their windows better, lock their cars, & educate kids about car safety....we'll never know if we've saved any lives, but it helps me to make sense of it all....