The day my son was born, I looked into his eyes and promised to love and protect him all the days of his life. That was nearly three years ago, and at the time, the world was a little less effed-up.
Today, I can't help but worry... From things as small as sending him to school knowing he could catch an illness from another child or fall on the playground, to the really scary stuff like school shootings, terrorism and the all too real threat of an epidemic... protecting my child is becoming increasingly difficult and scary.
Back to the bubble.... I want one! I big hard plastic bullet proof bubble that will protect my kid from the world.
If only it was really that easy right? Or more to the point, not the most foolish way to raise a child...
Seeing my son sick or hurt devastates me. I hate it, and want to do everything I can to prevent it, short of the hamster ball.
So what's set me off this time?
I am TERRIFIED of an Ebola outbreak.
TERRIFIED!
When I heard that nurse, who was supposed to be home monitoring herself, boarded a plane with a low grade fever, then checked into the hospital the next morning, I thought I was going to throw up! Then, after hearing comments form the CDC director regarding her boarding the plane and the way hospitals are not truly prepared, I was even more confused and concerned. First he said, she should not have been on that plane. Then it was, there was no real threat to the passengers...
I hope he's right.
If I think about it too much I need a valium-vodka cocktail and a padded room.
I'm not even going to act like I am going to carry on like normal. Of course we will still have playdates, go to birthday parties and his child's day out program... For now. I also plan to begin preparing my house for the worst. Call me crazy, but when it comes to protecting my child, I will take no chances! Between the opening of flu season and the possibility of a worldwide Ebola outbreak, I have every intention of being as cautious as needed to protect my family.
in situations like this, I think about my mom, raising her three children on her own during times of war, environmental concerns and recession. It's not like I have it that much worse today as a parent, than twenty years ago. The threats and illness have been around for ever, and will continue to be.; some worse, some not so much. This helps me to remember that getting too crazed doesn't do anyone any good. If I control the crap out of my kid, and lock him in the house until he is eighteen he will resent me.
I feel like I walk a fine line between being cautious and controlling. I guess that's what parenting is all about; finding the best way to protect my child, yet let him still experience as much as possible.
What about you? Are you worried? How do you plan to protect your family?
