Okay, that’s it. I’ve had enough.
It seems like every other day, I hear news reports about some mother abandoning their toddler in a car on the side of the road or some mother’s boyfriend sticking a baby in a freezer – yes, a freezer – to keep it from crying. These are both real news stories that have been on my local news in the past week.
The main thing I want to know: What the f*** is wrong with people?
Very rarely do I get angry about the news, but when I see story after story after story – and there have been a few recently – about parents or partners of parents hurting a baby because it’s crying, I am infuriated.
The first thing I learned when I became a mother was that babies cry. Crying is how babies communicate. They are trying to tell you that they’re tired or hungry or hurting or wet. They are not trying to annoy you or keep you from playing that video game or keep you from taking a nap or whatever else it is you think you should be doing when you’re supposed to be taking care of a baby.
I wonder if the parents of these children know how blessed they are. If you’re sticking your kid in a freezer, my guess would be “no.” I know dozens of women who, for whatever reason, are unable to have children or have difficulty conceiving. They would do whatever they needed to do to have a child.
I know because I’m one of them. After several years of infertility treatments, my former husband and I successfully adopted a baby boy. And my son is the biggest blessing of my life. He keeps me young, he keeps me sharp, he keeps me laughing and he keeps me sane.
Listen, I get it. Parenting is hard. There were times when I cried right along with my infant son when I couldn’t figure out how to make him happy. And then I would put him down – in a safe place – and walk away for a few minutes.
It doesn’t make me a bad mom because I let my baby cry. It makes me a good mom because I had sense enough to take a break.
But these parents who purposefully hurt their children somehow think their babies are expendable. How can anyone believe that a living, breathing being that can’t take care of itself was just put on this Earth to make your life difficult?
I hate to sound “preachy,” but if you can’t do your baby a favor, then do yourself a favor, or better yet, do society a favor and don’t become a statistic. All the pregnancy stuff can be fun and exciting, but the real work begins when the baby is born. If you need help, ask relatives, neighbors, friends, pastors. And if you don’t want help, then don’t stick your child in a freezer. Call a local religious organization or adoption agency – there are many women like me who would love to love a baby.
It seems like every other day, I hear news reports about some mother abandoning their toddler in a car on the side of the road or some mother’s boyfriend sticking a baby in a freezer – yes, a freezer – to keep it from crying. These are both real news stories that have been on my local news in the past week.
The main thing I want to know: What the f*** is wrong with people?
Very rarely do I get angry about the news, but when I see story after story after story – and there have been a few recently – about parents or partners of parents hurting a baby because it’s crying, I am infuriated.
The first thing I learned when I became a mother was that babies cry. Crying is how babies communicate. They are trying to tell you that they’re tired or hungry or hurting or wet. They are not trying to annoy you or keep you from playing that video game or keep you from taking a nap or whatever else it is you think you should be doing when you’re supposed to be taking care of a baby.
I wonder if the parents of these children know how blessed they are. If you’re sticking your kid in a freezer, my guess would be “no.” I know dozens of women who, for whatever reason, are unable to have children or have difficulty conceiving. They would do whatever they needed to do to have a child.
I know because I’m one of them. After several years of infertility treatments, my former husband and I successfully adopted a baby boy. And my son is the biggest blessing of my life. He keeps me young, he keeps me sharp, he keeps me laughing and he keeps me sane.
Listen, I get it. Parenting is hard. There were times when I cried right along with my infant son when I couldn’t figure out how to make him happy. And then I would put him down – in a safe place – and walk away for a few minutes.
It doesn’t make me a bad mom because I let my baby cry. It makes me a good mom because I had sense enough to take a break.
But these parents who purposefully hurt their children somehow think their babies are expendable. How can anyone believe that a living, breathing being that can’t take care of itself was just put on this Earth to make your life difficult?
I hate to sound “preachy,” but if you can’t do your baby a favor, then do yourself a favor, or better yet, do society a favor and don’t become a statistic. All the pregnancy stuff can be fun and exciting, but the real work begins when the baby is born. If you need help, ask relatives, neighbors, friends, pastors. And if you don’t want help, then don’t stick your child in a freezer. Call a local religious organization or adoption agency – there are many women like me who would love to love a baby.