Jennifer Fulwiler has a great post over on
NCRegister! Here's one of the highlights, but there were so many that I'd strongly suggest going over and reading
the whole thing (it's not very long!)
"...I can see where these misguided ideas come from. When babies are seen as commodities that exist to fulfill the personal desires of their parents, something that couples create for themselves, completely on their own, one of the many unfortunate results is that it puts kids in an emotionally precarious position. Feeling like your parents weren’t ready for you or didn’t want you would be difficult for any child, but when you think that you owe your entire existence to these two people alone, it’s even more heartbreaking.
A child raised in the Catholic worldview knows, first of all, that just because a baby was a surprise doesn’t mean he wasn’t wanted. New children are seen as a natural part of married life, and thus Catholic couples take it for granted that sometimes babies come along at times when you’re not expecting them—and that’s okay..."
Read the entire article here.
Jennifer Fulwiler has a great post over on NCRegister! Here's one of the highlights, but there were so many that I'd strongly suggest going over and reading the whole thing (it's not very long!)
I heard this exchange on a television show years and years ago and it stuck with me.
ReplyDeleteBoy: Mom, was I an accident?
Mom: No, of course not! You were a surprise.
Boy: What's the difference?
Mom: Well, a surprise is something you didn't know you wanted until you got it.
If only more people viewed surprise children in this way!
I agree with you both. My son (almost four months old) was a NFP surprise. It seems so harsh to think of him as an accident. I like to think of it as God showing me that I could be a good mother now and not later.
ReplyDeleteI also should say that I am a long time lurker, and I love your posts. It helps me know that I an not alone in being the Catholic that I strive to be, and helps me on my own spiritual journey. Keep them coming!
Thanks Jessica (and congratulations!)! Our first was a surprise too, but I think of it in the same way, God knew that I was ready even when I was positive that we had "serious" reasons (now when I think of the reasons they're kind of laughable...). I'm so grateful for our surprise gift from God!
ReplyDelete