There was a child today, running around after her mother. She couldn't have been more than two years old, if that. Laughing, playing, rushing about with all the endless energy and innocent exhuberance that only children can possess. Yet even so, she was very well behaved for a child her age. You could tell her mother spent a lot of time with her, and was already teaching her socialization skills.
There's nothing quite like a child's laughter. Filled with such happiness, such unbridled joy, it can bring a smile to all but the hardest of hearts.
Bringing up a child in this world, it's so just much. I'm in awe of people who have the kind of courage and selflessness it takes to be a good parent. Especially in this day and age. There's just so much out there that can harm a child, on one way or another - physically, emotionally, spiritually... it's scary. And yet, you can't protect them from everything. Kids will be kids - they'll go out, try things, get hurt, and hopefully learn from their experiences without causing themselves permanent damage.
I look at my younger cousins, and where I once saw cute little monsters I now see fine young men and women. It's so amazing. They're so amazing. It's hard to believe sometimes. I'm so proud of them - so proud to call them family.
I look around and see old friends raising their little ones. Or not-so-little ones, in some cases. And again, it's so amazing. So incredibly amazing.
And, at times, I feel a pang of longing - and loss. Because I know. I'll never know the joys and hardships of parenthood. All the frustration, all the worry, all the wonder. All of it, an amalgam of contradictory emotions and experiences, bundled up with a bow, like a present.
But not for me.
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