Before your child is born you have very few requests-
one, actually–
that he/she is healthy. Please God, you say, nothing else matters.
(Perhaps you might throw in- oh and -please don’t make it hurt too too much)
When you are fortunate enough to be presented with that very healthy baby, it is enough for an afternoon, and then you have new needs for them.
Let them latch on well, let them learn to sleep quickly, let them gain weight.
Soon you want them to read short novels at three, hit the baseball out of the park and play ‘nicely’ with their friends.
You want them to have divine gifts, talents and invitations to all the birthday parties. You want them to land their triple, look nice in shorts, have the manners of a church mouse and the assertiveness of a bulldog.
You want them to excel in Math, Science and French. You need them to be funny, fit in, stand out, excel, dominate, create and master.
But suddenly if everything comes crashing down around them or within them, all you really want is the first thing you ever wanted for them;
That they be healthy.
