Your Child Is Not An Accessory!
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that if you are reading this, you know someone that treats their child like an accessory. Even if you don’t, let me explain…
YOUR CHILD IS NOT AN ACCESSORY!
Woah, that felt good. Okay, that wasn’t really an explanation more of a statement but a very true one. So let me paint a picture for you. You know that parent that seems to love their child but not enough to I dunno, be around them? Not enough to not allow more than 1 day go by without seeing them even if they have the chance to? The parent that treats their child like they are last month’s issue of Vogue… That’s a parent I never want to (and never will) be. Nor do I want to be around them.
As a mom who has suffered through the heartbreak of a miscarriage, having a hard time getting pregnant, and an even a harder time staying pregnant (my boys were both born early) it angers me when parents act like their kids are some thing they can pick up one day and forget about the next.
People: when you have sex it’s ALMOST ALWAYS a possibility you could have a child. Whether you planned for that child or not, you have a responsibility to them and yourself. Children look up to us. They become like the people they are around. So if you aren’t around your children, in a few years you’ll be living with strangers.
They aren’t an accessory you can wear one day, decide it cramps your style, and then move on.
Sorry, kiddo, doesn’t work like that.
Now, I’m not preaching to divorced parents, or working parents, or parents who just need a little break. You all are good. There are probably a billion circumstances that prevent some parents from being with their kids. And for you all who are trying, but for whatever reason can’t be with your kids, you should be just as angry as I am.
Now, I do realize some people would judge me, too, since I can hardly go an hour without being around my boys. I get that. I’m a bit obsessed with watching them grow. I mean, one of my sons is practically a replica of his father, while the other is a total me. Yeah, I’m obsessed. That’s a freakin’ cool thing to see!
What it comes down to is there are people out there who would give their everything just to have a child to love, nurture, and hold. When you choose not to love, nurture, or be around your kids, you are taking for granted a tremendous gift that others may never have a chance to experience.
So, please. Think about it before you strap yourself into parenthood. It’s a lifetime commitment, and if you can’t make it – you shouldn’t have kids.
Want more of the good stuff? Check out An Open Letter to Helicopter Parents Everywhere
Will you post this to Facebook again please?
Thank you for your article!
When I was 20 I was a nanny in the UK (an Aussie on a working holiday visa), the first family I worked for, both parents were working and their kids were totally treated like accessories.. I had been with the family for three days and both of them were in different countries working for a week!! They left me at home with a 6 month old and a 2 year old after three days of knowing me!!
We went on a family trip to Swizterland and they sat in first class and the kids and I in economy, then all day everyday we were left in the hotel while they went out skiing!! It was horrible. I stayed with the family for six months, should have left before that but I just felt so bad for the kids! I often wonder what happened to those kids, they would be late teens now!!
After that job I worked for an amazing family who adored their kids, they too were working parents but it was totally different.
Omg! How is that possible. I can’t imagine doing that. I love my boy, I can’t stay long without him. But I also have a family member that can and does that. Leaves her son at our in laws for the weekend without seeing him or calling to check on him. It’s crazy! And the father hardly spends any time with him, or he is working or on his phone. Then they are the perfect mother and father. Even when we spend holidays together its sad, me and my husband are more like his parents, we give him a bath, we dress him, we do everything as he was our son and they don’t care. It’s sad. One thing that breaks my heart is when the boy falls asleep at my in laws they leave him there even knowing he might wake up during the night screaming wanting his mother. This happens more than once a week. When he was younger he would hardly sleep in his bed at home! But worse was the boys mother being unemployed and leaving the boy with a babysitter. Or after a day dealing with her kid, she leaves him at my our in laws just for some time alone, knowing that my in laws work full time and have to take care or two elder parents. It’s crazy! I could never imagine being like this. I feel good saying this. Thanks for reading.