A Good Parent

What exactly qualifies someone to be a good parent? There are the basic things like providing their children food, shelter, and clothing. Come to think of it, there are parents out there who try their hardest to provide these necessities for their children, but sometimes, due to very unfortunate events, they can't even give them the basics, most of which we take for granted. I'm digressing from my point...

My sister, who is now a few months pregnant, said something to me tonight that at first struck me as hilarious, but after some thought, I find that it's actually a very interesting comment. She came back from a doctor a few days ago with some 3D pictures of her unborn child. As I was leaving her house this evening, she reminded me to take these pictures with me to show our parents. I asked, "You only have one copy of these, right?" She quickly answered, "Yeah, but I don't care." "WHAT?!" Most to-be parents treasure little things like this! A small lie immediately flew out of her mouth. "Okay! Okay! I care! I care! I care!" I know she still doesn't.

I was really shocked that she could care less about these pictures. My other friend who just gave birth framed one of hers! The fact that she doesn't care about her sonogram pictures does not mean she doesn't care about her baby. I say this because some people would be completely mortified that a mother wouldn't care about this. Some would misconstrue her candor statement as a hint that she will be a bad mother. (In a high-pitch nagging voice...) Well, if she doesn't care about the pictures, she must not care about a bunch of other things too, and therefore, she doesn't care about her baby and will be a bad bad mother. Oh whatever. Shut up. She may be a little crazy, heh heh, but she is still going to be a great mother. Good thing her husband is there to balance things out!

When I first started this entry, my question was "what qualifies someone to be a good parent?" The answer is rather simple. If you teach and show your child to be the best person they can be, you should be considered to be a good parent. Well, that's the simple answer to a big question. This is what my parents have done for me and my siblings, and although none of us are perfect, we are all genuinely good-hearted people. There are no rules a parent needs to follow. A parent who gives their children everything they want is no better or worse than a parent who practices harsh discipline. And who is to judge that someone is a good or bad parent? Maybe their children when they have kids of their own? Or sooner. Or maybe it's getting quite late, and I've completely lost my train of thought and am no longer making sense. Until next time, my friends. Good night!