Parenting

Parenting
Betsy McKenzie

Some kinds of animals
Finish their duty when they
Lay the eggs in a suitable spot:
So long, and good luck!
I know human dads like that,
And sometimes mothers
Who try to get away with this
Sort of parenting.
Then there are the sorts of animals
Whose parenting job includes
Making sure the babies
Get fed, and don’t get eaten.
Maybe make sure they learn to fly.
This is the sort of parents I had.
Feed us breakfast, shoo us out the door.
No interaction until time to feed us again.
They were good about making sure we
Got educated and fed,
Not good on cuddling or socializing us.
What you expect from a parent
In a social animal, like dogs or humans
Is to reflect back to the baby:
Here is who you are, and
What you are in the group
You belong to.
Social babies who get blanks
From their parents
Are pretty much hurting
And confused little guys.
They don’t know when to
Roll over, or play-bow,
And get kicked around
In life a lot.
March 5, 2006