When we think about becoming parents, we think we might know what we will be like, right?
Will we be more strict or more liberal?
Will we hover or give kids TONS of independence?
Junk food junkie or health nut?
Playful or watchful?
Most likely we will find ourselves somewhere in the gray area in between. And it might depend on the child or even on the day. I was pretty sure I KNEW that I would FREAK OUT should a child of mine ever get seriously injured.
And then we can surprise ourselves. Just 4 days ago my daughter fell and broke her arm on the playground at school. I got a phone call to alert me of the incident and I was asked to come to the school. First, no panic. I don’t know why. I knew there were wonderfully loving and trustworthy people taking care of her at the school. But I can’t figure out why I wasn’t playing Worst Case Scenario images through my head. Then I was there with her and she was really hurt, though trying so hard to be brave.
A visit to the pediatrician gave us the diagnosis of a broken arm. Then another visit to the orthopedic specialist for the cast gave us the bad news that she would need surgery…..the next day! Still, no panic. I almost sat there trying to muster up a little panic because I figured I was supposed to.
There were some tears after I had to say good-bye to my baby as she was walked into the Operating Room by nurses. Then there were a few more tears of relief after the doctor reported the good news that all was well and the ordeal was over. But overall, I was very surprised by the fact that I never fell apart.
My conclusion? Parenting changes us. We begin to tap into veins of strength and brilliance running within us that are surprising and wonderful. So, if you think that you might not hold up to the difficulties of parenting, or that you don’t know what you are doing, just wait. Don’t panic. It just somehow happens and you do get there. It was always there.
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