The Moment You Face Your Child's Mortality

You just read that title and thought "I know my kid is mortal. I've faced this." And I would agree with you before my daughter was diagnosed with cancer. But I didn't realize what my child's mortality really was until it slapped me in the face. I knew, when I got pregnant, that I had this precious life that I had to care for. It was up to me to keep her healthy and warm and safe. It was up to me to make sure she grew up into a moderately tolerable adult. But I didn't see the forest for the trees. I was too concerned with whether she was walking or talking or behaving the way she was supposed to. I was too concerned with what school she'd go to and who would be her friends. I had this image of her walking down the aisle, graduating high school, college, becoming more than me. I saw into her future and saw nothing but light and sunshine with a few expected bumps on the road. Her first crush, being bullied by the cheerleaders, the first fender bender at 16. I expected that. But then the reality of the situation hit me. I had a fragile little life in my hands and that could be taken from me at any time for any reason at all. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us, and that includes our children. We, as parents, are not programmed to think that way. We don't normally think "if today is her last day, was it good enough?" We think "How is she doing in school, and did she get her homework done?" My moment was when the liver doctor said five words that stopped me: "She needs a l...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news