Because there will be no applicants! Why? Because applicants will not like the job profile.
No pay,no perks,no bonus,no overtime wages. No fixed hours. No week-ends off, no holidays in the year, no annual vacations. No job description. Yet all tasks are to be carried out diligently: a) Providing funds, with no limits b) Feeding the children c) Cleaning and dressing them d) Nursing them to health when they are ill,with several visits to the doctors, and many sleepless nights e) Teaching and training them in different activities, from potty training to table manners f) encouraging and counseling them g) disciplining them, when necessary h) setting an example in thought, word and deed- day in and day out.( Please add to the list, if I have missed some tasks)
No certificates,medals of honor or trophies. Chances are that there might be no 'thank you' or any compensation from the children.
With such a profile would there be takers ??
Yet most couples become parents at some stage in their lives, having children of their own or through adoption. Why does this happen ? Is it crazy to become a parent when the odds are stacked against us ?
What do you think ?
Very well put!
ReplyDeleteYou would think we would have the sense to steer clear of such a demanding "job". But to be honest, when I speak for myself, parenting was not something I gave much thought to till the little babe (my first child) was in my arms. And I guess nothing can prepare you for that and for what follows! I see myself as in some way or the other playing 'catch up', remembering the model of my own parents, but for the most part, responding to my child in a reactive way. And that, as you so rightly put, keeps the odds stacked well and truly against me and my wife!
Indeed. You have manuals and handbooks for nearly everything, whether it is driving a car or using a microwave. But most of us get married without ever hearing about parenting manuals or handbooks, let alone ever reading them. Which is why your highlighting the personal example of parents is so crucial. That really is what it boils down to, most of the time. Our parents are our strongest reference point. So the room for error, for responsible parents, is next to nil!
ReplyDeleteHello Uncle,
ReplyDeleteWishes on your entry into the blogging world. In a world where increasingly new parents are not able to draw the line between the right amount of kindess and discipline and let children run amok to their own detriment, I hope this space where you plan to share your practical experiences of having reared four children into fine young men, one of whom I have personally known and has shaped a bit of my life. I am also looking forward to hearing from Aunty Mabel so that together you can present a wholesome view to "parenting".
To me, parental behaviour is in essence, illogical. As you rightly put it – there are no pan scales here. Every time we see how far parents are willing to for, it’s a reminder of Divine love. Most parents, no matter how rough the ride, feel privileged and blessed. When Veronica and I had Jonathan, I said to myself – if marriage is graduation, this is the Phd. There is nothing quite like it. Even if you are a fool and a swine, just becoming a parent is a honor beyond imagination. To think that God leaves a helpless infant in our care, and what’s more He gives us a blank sheet to write on – through every thing we don and don’t do for our child. What a privilege! What an entrustment! To me, there is nothing bigger and nothing more humbling. We look forward to learning as much as you have to share on this most amazing, most challenging subject.
ReplyDelete