We’ve just celebrated Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. On these days we honor our parents and celebrate all that they have done for us. When we grow up and become parents ourselves, we truly begin to understand what that means and the depth of love that our parents have for us.
There is no other love like the love a parent feels for their child. At times it will incite us to do things that we may not otherwise consider doing. No matter how old our children get, they are forever on our hearts and we want the best for them. It is our instinct to protect and be there for them always.
I was pretty shy when I was younger. I didn’t often speak up for myself. Having children is the very thing that brought me out of my shell and gave me confidence. I realized soon after my children were born that it was my responsibility to speak for them and be their advocate. I had to take care of them. I knew that if I wasn’t going to speak up and make sure they were treated justly, nobody would. There may be times when it’s wise to remain silent in the face of injustice but when it involves our children, we are compelled to protect them.
As my kids grew up, there were times that I had to assert myself to ensure that they were treated fairly. It wasn’t something that was very comfortable for me but I took care of things when I needed to. You may get away with messing with me but if you were unfair or mean to one of my children then you better watch out! I faced teachers, other parents, doctors, and even other kids at times. It wasn’t something that I wanted to do but as a mom I had to. It was instinctual. I call it the “Mother Hen Syndrome”.
The thing is, my children are now adults but I still have that instinct to protect them from people who treat them unfairly. Of course they are more than capable of speaking up for themselves but it takes great self-discipline on my part to remain silent when I see an injustice towards one of my children. I don’t think this will ever go away, this feeling of wanting to call someone out who does them wrong. But I must allow them to speak for themselves. It’s part of growing up. Besides, at this point in their lives, they would be horrified if I actually did something!
Unfortunately, there are always going to be people that will be hateful or try to take advantage of others and very soon, my children will be the ones who will need to speak up for my future grandchildren. This cycle will continue. Of course, if they ever need help, the grandma hen is here and ready to take action.