One of Many Reasons I Love Babies

Every good gift is from God--one of the greatest of which is the blessing of heritage. Babies are the means through which we obtain heritage. Without babies, mankind would disappear from the earth in one generation.

From a strictly humanistic point-of-view, babies are good for individuals as well as society: They bring out the best in men and women. Where their babies are concerned, those who tend to feel:

• Timid become bold as mama bears protecting their young,
• Useless find themselves needed in ways they never considered,
• Selfish learn to be selfless providers for their infants,
• Proud learn humility when caring for babies' changing needs,
• Controlling learn flexibility (whether they like it or not!)

Sometimes babies bring out the worst in us. We get impatient and stressed and lose our tempers. And when that happens, we can rejoice at the opportunity to change for the better. The answer is not to get rid of baby, but to get rid of the traits that mar us as individuals (timidity, uselessness, selfishness, pride, control, etc.).

Individuals who are caring, useful, selfless, humble and flexible make for good citizens. Society is healthy when such people thrive. They make great parents and turn out great kids!

In our rush toward self-actualization, I fear our culture has lost sight of these basic truths. We seem to be replacing the general good with personal self-satisfaction. Sacrificing future generations for our present well-being is very short-sighted indeed. At the end of life, we leave nothing behind but a history of our own self-indulgence.

As a parent of two daughters and a grandparent of their four children, I love babies because they are cuddly and fun and needy and challenging and delightful. And those babies will grow up and continue God's gift of heritage.


I'd love to hear your opinions/thoughts on this.