Having recently spent a week in the hospital with my daughter, I started thinking about a parent’s unending love and support. Even now, as a grown woman and parent myself. As I reflected on the ways my parents have always been there for me, I realized a parent is always there to support their child.
It started with a conversation with my dad where I asked him to come to my house at 6 am on a Saturday. I needed him to stay with my youngest while my husband came to the hospital. He said of course he would be there. Then he said “It’s a good thing I love you.” We talked about the things we do for our kids and how it apparently never ends. A parent’s unending love and support.
As a special needs parent, the thought that my daughter will always need me is not lost on me. I think about that a lot. Especially in times like this when taking care of her is especially exhausting. I am aware that my dad does A LOT for me. I don’t think he’s ever turned me down when I’ve asked for help or even complained. But I’d never really thought about how a parent’s role to drop everything and be there for their child doesn’t go away. No matter their age or ability.
My Parents Were Always Really Involved in My Life
My parents were very involved in my life when I was growing up. I was an only child so they could focus all their energy on me. As a Girl Scout, my mom became a troop leader and my dad was a camping parent. When I was older, I was in the band and my parents were band parents. They volunteered at all the games in the concession stands and chaperoned away games. I must admit, I hated it because I never got away with anything. If I misbehaved, it wasn’t just my troop leader or another parent there, it was MY parent!
My Parents Always Came When I Called
When I was in middle school, I went away to a band camp (yes, this one time at band camp…) and I got homesick. I called my parents crying and they drove overnight from FL to AL to come get me. When I was in high school, I went to the carnival with friends. I got soaked on the log flume ride and hours later at my friend’s house, I still couldn’t get warm. I called my mom and she drove 30 minutes in the middle of the night to come get me.
When I was in college and a long time boyfriend broke up with me, my mom drove to school to take me shopping and cheer me up. I told her it made me sad to check the mail and get nothing all the time. So she started sending me a little something every day for like a month or more! She wanted to make sure I knew she was there to love and support me.
When I was pregnant with my 2nd child and so sick I couldn’t take care of my daughter, my dad dropped everything to return home from wintering in Las Vegas to help me.
Those are only a few of the occasions I can think of that my parents have disrupted their own lives to be there for me. They’ve always provided that love and support.
We Always Need Our Parent’s Love and Support
When our children are little and they need us to do everything for them, it’s expected that our lives revolve around their needs and schedules. And while it’s exhausting, we don’t think anything of it because that’s just what parents do. Then when they’re teenagers and they don’t want us around, I’m guessing it’s a mix of emotions when they call you from band camp homesick.
On one hand, you’re glad they still need and want you. On the other, you’re probably enjoying having your life be your own again and don’t appreciate the interruption. But you drop everything nonetheless because your child needs you and that’s what a parent does. And you’re probably happy to provide that love and support.
I’m in the stage of life that my kids need me for everything. I find myself looking forward to the day that I’m not needed quite so much. But the truth is, we always need our parent’s unending love and support. Sometimes we need them even more when we are adults. And as a parent, I will always drop everything to help my child when she calls for me. I will do it because that’s what parents do…because that’s a parent’s unending love.
