While watching TV, I came across a show called The Talk.
They were interviewing a woman by the name of Cady Coleman who is a NASA astronaut and is currently at the International Space Station for approximately 3-6 months.
Mrs. Coleman has 10 and 17 year old sons.
It probably doesn’t bother anyone but me, but I had to ask myself “When did our priorities get flip-flopped? When do our jobs take priority over our children?”
Perhaps it has to do with getting older. I look at things a little differently than when I was growing up.
My mother raised 6 children alone. We would wear hand-me-down clothes. There was no such thing as leftover food. And oatmeal (which I still love) was sometimes served for breakfast and dinner. There were no graduation photos as we couldn’t afford them. The Catholic church was very gracious to our family by giving us food and clothing.
My mother didn’t work. She felt it was important for her to be home when we arrived home. She wasn’t perfect. We missed socials with other children because she was very protective of her little flock.
Most importantly to me, she never would have been gone from our lives for 6 months. Her children were her priority.
I know some will say “that’s Mrs. Coleman’s job.” Yes, it is. But she chose it. And it’s not just mothers that I have concerns about. I have the same concerns about fathers. We have too many children with parents who put work or other priorities in place of their children.
We can’t recover any time we miss with our children. Not one second. “But this is better for the world — a woman in space. How much it will inspire other females.” Etc. Etc. Etc. I’ve heard it all.
It’s not about “other” people. It’s about those we brought into this world that we should be placing first in our lives.
Old-fashioned? Perhaps. But I know too many adults who are screwed up because they had no mother or father at home to love them. Too many. All they wanted was the love of their mother and father.
Is it really too much to ask for? Really?
