The Gift of Babies

I'm sitting in the classroom right now while my students are working on an exercise and I notice that one of them has brought a toddler to class. The little girl is about 3 years old, is extremely adorable, and has made me ponder about... babies.

I am amazed at how over the years, my perception of babies/children has changed so dramatically. Growing up as an only child, I was never surrounded by kids, and I always felt disconnected with them. It awed me when people were able to immediately bond with children who were not their own, because I always felt that I didn't know how to act around them and that they did not like me. As I reached my middle twenties, however, things started to change.

I must have reached the point that most women come to at some time in their lives. I suddenly started to like babies. I wanted to play with them, and most especially, hug them! I suddenly discovered that there is something wondrously beautiful about hugging babies.

I want to have children eventually, but I have to admit that I am in no way ready to have babies of my own at the moment. I'd want to enjoy being with my partner/husband first before I'd want to accept the responsibility of raising children. How I wish, though, that time did not give women limits to that!

I applaud women who have accidentally gotten pregnant but have chosen to keep their babies despite the risk of being stigmatized by society. I am pro-choice, but I believe that babies are gifts from God. There is nothing to be ashamed of with getting pregnant out of wedlock. Children are a blessing, and they will always be that no matter what time, age, or circumstance you have them.