Parenthood

I started to get annoyed after being stuck there for five minutes longer than I was supposed to be. The annoyance grew greater after the 45th minute. I called their parents at least four times and I got no answer or no call back. They said they would be there in five minutes and this was at noon, when 12:45 came I obviously was irritated. I had to go to work soon and this just threw a curveball in my day. 

This is just one of the perks of working in the area that I work in. I get the pleasure of being upset by people not taking the responsibility in their own lives. It's a constant battle for me to understand who to put the blame on. The kids feel that the annoyance is towards them, but the truth is that it's not. The blame goes more toward the parents and then even more toward their parents. 

This situation in particular started out with me being frustrated because of the inconvenience that it was to me, but then it ended up being a frustration because of the kids. These kids are in the situation that they are in because of their parents. They cannot control the situations that they fall into and that kills me. It kills me to watch them live the life that they do and hurt constantly. It kills me to see that they do not get the attention that they deserve. It kills me that they do not get the help that they deserve. Most of all it kills me to see that they do not get the love that they deserve.

Don't get me wrong, there is love in this family. Their parents love them and they love their parents. However, love means being sacrificial. Love means dropping whatever is holding you back from getting your kids on time and going to get them. Love means getting rid of all of those worldly things and pour into the family that you have brought up. It means getting over the fact that you are in over your head and doing whatever it takes to provide. It means making them into better people than you are and pushing them to be the best that they can be. 

Life as we Know It

I find myself constantly talking about this "transitional phase" more and more as time after college goes on. I suppose that it makes sense seeing how this is where I am right now. However, it also seems that the more that I talk about it, the less that I understand about it. It is true that there is some sense of understanding that is happening, but that is not what it feels like.

Often times, this feeling of lack of understanding comes from the fact that we say that "this is just life" or "this is normal after college." Sure, it is normal and this is life, but there is nothing wrong with being upset. There is nothing wrong with being in a slight depression over it.

It was yesterday that someone actually said to me that it was normal for college grads to fall into a slight depression after college. It is normal, it is okay to be slightly depressed. It is okay to not understand what is going on. It is okay to not know what lies ahead. It is even more okay to be upset, scared, or nervous and then be open about it. It is okay to let others know what we are feeling and what is going on.

Maybe it's our generation or maybe it's just coming out of a bubble that has crippled us from being able to be vulnerable. Being vulnerable is a weakness and it makes you a freak of some sort. My question is, where did we get this idea? We were created to be in community with one another. We were created to love with one another and that means walking through life together. It means for us to be open about what is going on and not just the happiness. What is the point of relationships if we can't share our fears with one another? It is time for us to stop being "okay" and instead start being real.