Car Seats?!?!

My goal today was to get 3 of our children to the Doctor at the Family Kingdom. As Ashley and I were talking about how to accomplish this, she asked me a question that struck me as so funny I couldn't help laughing out loud. It was one of those moments when I was overwhelmed (again) with how much we (Americans) do to protect our children, here they would call it spoiling. She asked me if they had car seats here; a practical, good question but the answer is no. I imagined asking the staff here for car seats to use to transport the children and their faces of disbelief. So, instead of strapping the babies safely into car seats, we took 5 adults for 3 children to the doctor down the hill, over multiple bumps and through some crazy traffic, and the whole way each of those children were lovingly and tightly held onto by a caregiver who was ready to meet their needs. I watched them talk, sing and play with the babies. Encourage the 7 year-old who was afraid of another shot, and make the trip as safe and enjoyable as possible.

My thoughts though continue to turn to what I know about the emotional, physical, social, and spiritual needs of children and how to use what we already have been given to meet those needs in the best way possible. What is a necessity and what can a child learn to survive without…maybe the better question is what are we willing to allow a child to live without? Car seats don't seem so important in the light of basic things like clean water and healthy food, but there are so many things that fall in that grey area between what is essential and what is good and right and what is excess. Having a teddy bear to go with you to the hospital and someone who will explain what is happening might seem like extra in a world where there is little to go around but it doesn't seem like extra to me. Having someone that makes sure you take a nap and get a bath may not seem like a lot but to these dear children it means the world.

I struggled today with one of the little boys. He has grown attached already and cries and gets so upset when we leave. At rest time he kept sneaking down to sit on our laps and be with us. As a preschooler he needs his rest and he needs to learn that temper-tantrums are not the way to get what you want but it was so hard to follow through on that because he just wanted to be held. I could be accused of spoiling him if I sat and held him for hours at a time (and there are several other boys that would throw tantrums or hit him if I paid too much attention to him) but that is exactly what this little boy needs; someone who can do that for him every day until he decides he is too old to cuddle and he begins to trust that if he falls asleep someone he loves and trusts will be there when he wakes up.

These are my thoughts for today. Maybe you have some answers…