And The Moral of This Story Is
Every story should have a moral, every tale needs a nice ending and every
book needs a tidy plot to hold it together and keep it neat. Writers know
that a book or story has a beginning, a natural flow through the middle
and a complete ending drawing all the characters together and finishing
their tale. Unfortunately, real life is not like that. We all have a beginning,
a middle and an ending but in between there are many ups and downs and sidesteps,
missteps, and even sudden jolts that at times life seems to make no logical
sense at all.
Where in the world did we ever get the idea that childhood was such a peaceful
and easy time with no cares, no wants and no worries? Even those of us privileged
to grow up in a loving household know there were times nothing felt right
and you were afraid that nothing ever would be right again. In these troubled
times, children, teenagers and young adults have access to so much information
that the normal strains of childhood are intensified to include drugs, shootings,
smoking, alcohol, premature sex and so many other things most of us did
not have to deal with in the years not so long ago.
Raising a loving, thoughtful and caring child in this day and age takes
its toll on parents also. To give birth, love and nurture a child and then
see them emulate rock stars, sports stars, anyone with 15 minutes of fame
behind them can be extremely discouraging and sometimes it is hard to hang
in there and be the hard-nosed parent actually denying that same child things
you know will only harm them mentally, socially and, sometimes, even physically.
Parenting is difficult, time consuming but, ultimately, the most rewarding
thing we can accomplish. When you see what was once a tiny baby grow up
to be a responsible adult it gives all of us hope for the future and makes
us sure that the world is still full of joy and happiness because you have
put your time and efforts into making that small life grow into a caring
individual. This takes a lot of effort and patience, but is the ultimate
accomplishment in anyone's life.
And the moral of this story is Yes, the world is still a great and wondrous
place full of people who care, who love, who laugh, who seek each other
out to give and receive happiness from each other. We have seen the best
and the worst of people but we know in our hearts that the worst cannot
survive. This is why when we raise our children we must find a way to nurture
the good in each little one and take the time and have the strength to be
a parent, and a good parent at that. Be well.