Before you become a parent, everyone feels the need to tell you how much your life will change once you have a baby. There is no more sleeping in on a Saturday morning. Adult conversation all but ceases to exist if little ones are awake. Dinner out with friends...? Only if you can find an available, trust-worthy, reasonably-priced babysitter. Or if you take your children to dinner, just don't expect to enjoy what you eat or even have the time to realize what you are shoving into your mouth....
Funny, isn't it, that as many times as you hear that "your life will change," no one ever mentions the big ways it will change. No one tells you that you will see the world in an entirely different light the moment you find out you are pregnant. You will want the world to be a better place ~ one that is worthy to house your child. You will worry about things and become scared of things that never really crossed your mind previously. Teenagers look at their parents and angrily say "you can't control my life," and realize only when they themselves become parents that it never was about "control" but about a desperate desire and need to keep them safe. You would think that new parents would wish their little one to sleep through the night ~ well, they do wish that, but the first time it happens, they are nervous wrecks, making countless trips into the nursery to make sure that their sweet baby is still breathing. Either way, you don't sleep, right? Yes, everything changes the moment you find out you will be a Mommy or a Daddy.
No one mentioned to you that the pool that is so much fun on hot summer days becomes a dreaded loaded gun, once your biggest fear is your precious child falling into it. No one mentioned to you that a routine issue with which you must deal, like a faulty heating system in your home, could claim the life of your child. No one mentioned to you that you would give your life to save the one of the baby in your belly that you haven't even met yet, or how much you worry about that baby before s/he arrives ~ is s/he kicking enough during the day? Am I gaining too much or too little weight? Am I drinking too much caffeine? Or, Heaven forbid, you find out that something is wrong with that baby....
Each of these things has happened to people we know this past week. Please pray for these families.... Brody Johnson, a 20 month old in Boots' MDO class fell into a pool and is in the PICU at MCG; he is not doing well and will never recover, if he lives through this at all. Brian Kirby and his wife, Samantha (Brad knew him during med school, the Greers knew them in Galveston, and they live next door to my friend, Ali's parents), lost their twin boys earlier this week when their faulty heating system kicked on while they boys were sleeping upstairs. Lucy Dean, my high school friend, Brad's baby girl, had heart surgery last week at the tender age of only 4 days; they had found a problem with her heart in utero.
My heart is breaking for each of these families. As a parent, I cannot even begin to imagine what they each must be going through. I look at my little girls and thank God for their health and safety, which really are so fragile and possibly so temporary in our world. Just knowing these stories, and others, brings me to my knees.....
Afterall, what is being a parent, if not falling to your knees in praise of God for giving them to you, in thanks for their health and safety, and in desperate request of letting it continue that way?
This is what no one tells you.
Please keep the Johnson, Kirby, and Dean families in your daily prayers. Thank you.
Funny, isn't it, that as many times as you hear that "your life will change," no one ever mentions the big ways it will change. No one tells you that you will see the world in an entirely different light the moment you find out you are pregnant. You will want the world to be a better place ~ one that is worthy to house your child. You will worry about things and become scared of things that never really crossed your mind previously. Teenagers look at their parents and angrily say "you can't control my life," and realize only when they themselves become parents that it never was about "control" but about a desperate desire and need to keep them safe. You would think that new parents would wish their little one to sleep through the night ~ well, they do wish that, but the first time it happens, they are nervous wrecks, making countless trips into the nursery to make sure that their sweet baby is still breathing. Either way, you don't sleep, right? Yes, everything changes the moment you find out you will be a Mommy or a Daddy.
No one mentioned to you that the pool that is so much fun on hot summer days becomes a dreaded loaded gun, once your biggest fear is your precious child falling into it. No one mentioned to you that a routine issue with which you must deal, like a faulty heating system in your home, could claim the life of your child. No one mentioned to you that you would give your life to save the one of the baby in your belly that you haven't even met yet, or how much you worry about that baby before s/he arrives ~ is s/he kicking enough during the day? Am I gaining too much or too little weight? Am I drinking too much caffeine? Or, Heaven forbid, you find out that something is wrong with that baby....
Each of these things has happened to people we know this past week. Please pray for these families.... Brody Johnson, a 20 month old in Boots' MDO class fell into a pool and is in the PICU at MCG; he is not doing well and will never recover, if he lives through this at all. Brian Kirby and his wife, Samantha (Brad knew him during med school, the Greers knew them in Galveston, and they live next door to my friend, Ali's parents), lost their twin boys earlier this week when their faulty heating system kicked on while they boys were sleeping upstairs. Lucy Dean, my high school friend, Brad's baby girl, had heart surgery last week at the tender age of only 4 days; they had found a problem with her heart in utero.
My heart is breaking for each of these families. As a parent, I cannot even begin to imagine what they each must be going through. I look at my little girls and thank God for their health and safety, which really are so fragile and possibly so temporary in our world. Just knowing these stories, and others, brings me to my knees.....
Afterall, what is being a parent, if not falling to your knees in praise of God for giving them to you, in thanks for their health and safety, and in desperate request of letting it continue that way?
This is what no one tells you.
Please keep the Johnson, Kirby, and Dean families in your daily prayers. Thank you.
4 comments:
Wow. That was such a powerful post. I needed to read that since I am going to be a new parent next year. Thank you!
Britt,
Thanks for this. It has really hit home since we are expecting our first child in January. I too worry about when he is born and I can no longer physically protect him. I will keep your friends in my prayers as no one knows what it is like to lose a child or have a child under go something traumatic. God Bless!
~Meredith
Oh Britt, I'm so sorry for those families! Rick and I were just talking about this on the way home from seeing Love Happens. We were saying exactly what you did- that the world is a much scarier place once you're a parent. We agreed that you don't necessarily have to lose a child to feel the pain of that loss. Just the thought of it is enough to absolutely take your breath away. On that note, I'm off to kiss my babies and bring them in bed with us... but not before praying for your friends.
I am a friend of the Greers in Jackson (we went to high school together) and I read your blog on occasion. Your family is beautiful and I thank you for sharing your heart through this post. I needed that reminder today and will be faithfully praying for the precious families. Thanks for being a blessing to me!
Post a Comment