Adults Were Once Children

The moment they put, tiny six month old Lenna in my arms I knew instantly there was nothing I wouldn’t do for her. I looked at her peaceful face and cute little nose and wondered who she would be as she got older, feeling grateful to be a part of even a sliver of her story. . Later that week while talking to a friend, I commented how instant the feeling I had to protect her was, how I would stand in front of a moving train for her if I had to. My friend’s adorable daughter heard me and questioned why anyone would say something like that. I explained that it meant there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to keep her safe, then looked that beautiful 10 year old in the eye and said, “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you either,” and I meant it with every bone in my body. . Since then I’ve wondered why it is that we are so eager and willing to protect children. Think about it, if you saw a child about to fall, would you not lunge forward in hopes of protecting them from getting hurt? Now, what if it was an adult? I find that when it comes to children, my answer is always “Of course I would,” but when it comes to adults I find myself saying “I would try.” . I know I’m not the only person who might feel this way. Maybe it’s because children are young and need our protection, but aren’t there plenty of adults today needing our help, and under our current administration, our protection? I don’t mean to preach, but if we were willing to give our shirts off our backs, or stand in front of a moving vehicle to protect a child, why do we hestitate to do the same for adults. . There’s no perfect answer to this question, just the knowledge and decision to do better once we become aware. Every adult today was once a child, filled with wonder and hope for their future, maybe we should try to remember that the next time our first instinct isn’t to protect each other. Ask yourself, if this were a child, would I hesitate? If the answer is no, then there’s no reason that love can’t be spread to someone a little older.