After Thoughts

After I posted that article, I went up stairs to my son's room. I stood in the doorway, looking at the yellow walls, the hangy thing his great-grandmother gave him for Christmas, the big plush sheep his father added, the crib dressings awaiting a crib, the tiger bank Josh and I picked out together and all the rest of the colorful softness. It occured to me that it used to be standard that babies were loved, and wanted before they came into the world. These days, Riley would be considered extremely lucky.

Why is that? Because he has a family who is eagerly awaiting him? Because he gets to make it comfortably to the ninth month with no worries of termination? Aren't these things we're supposed to give to our children?

In my opinion, Riley is not lucky. He's getting what he deserves; a loving, caring home. Josh and I are by no means rich. Admittedly, we could have been better prepared for him financially. He was pretty much a surprise. But when he comes into the world some time in late April, he's not going to care that his mother was on Medicaid, he will only be grateful (on some intuitive baby level) that he was given medical care to be as healthy as possible before birth. He won't care that some of his stuff is hand-me-down, he will only care that he has a warm place to sleep and eat. He won't care that we rent a 100 yr old house, he will be happy to have a place near family to grow and learn.

In reality, the only thing that matters to him when he opens his eyes for the first time in that hospital room, is that is parents, and several other generations of family members will be standing in line just waiting to hold him. We'll wrap him up in a soft blanket and pass him around to grandparents, and little aunts and uncles.

Considering that some children are brought into this world with regret, I guess you could consider Riley very lucky. I'm sure he will think the same of himself someday when he is old enough to ask about the day he was born. I just wish it didn't have to be that way. I wish Riley's arrival could be considered the norm.

In all reality, Josh and I should be considered the lucky ones.