The Fortunate Son

One of my colleagues and his wife had a baby yesterday. He called the office by late morning to report their little boy had arrived safe and sound and both mother and son were doing well. The office staff broke into applause.

Afterward I was left to think about how intensely personal that moment is, bringing a child into the world. Mother involved with a physical and emotional intensity half the population will never know. The father waiting and anxious, concerned with mother's well-being, baby's health, and realizing his world has forever changed.  It doesn't get more personal than that moment when those two become three.

Then again, it doesn't get more public than that moment either. Suddenly the world has another mouth to feed, another body to shelter and clothe. Suddenly there is another mind to educate, another soul in search of a useful life, another heart in search of love and companionship.

We parents bring these children into the world as "ours." The world, in turn, receives them as "theirs." It's hard enough for many parents today to acknowledge and accept their responsibility to raise a child to be well fed and cared for, let alone educated and responsible. Unfortunately even that's not enough. A parent must also have some perspective that they are bringing a citizen into the world, an individual who will have to assume some role in society. And there can be no mistaking: Every child will assume some role in society, for better or for worse.

Economics, gender, ethnicity, and education all play a part in shaping the child into a citizen. The secret ingredient, however, is love. Love that gives comfort. Love that gives self confidence. Love that demonstrates compassion. Love is the nutrient that enables the child to grow from the selfish dependent infant into the engaged citizen with the understanding they are responsible-- not just for themselves but as a thread in the quality and fabric of the society.

My friend is fortunate in having a healthy baby boy. He is fortunate in having a healthy wife and mother to that boy. We are all fortunate that baby boy is going home to parents that can provide well for him. We are all fortunate that baby boy is going home to a household filled with intelligence, humor, curiosity, and, best of all, love.