I’ve shied away from talking about parenting too much, but I know many Latter-day Saint moms would say this is the source of most of their shame. I think I’ve been reluctant to talk about it because of keeping the privacy of my own kids, and also- because I still feel shame around some of these things. My kids are still at home with me, and I still constantly wonder if I am being a good mom, or the best mom I can be.
As I reflected on this topic, two stories of me losing my kid came to the front of my mind, and that’s usually my cue for what story to tell.
The first story takes place at our closest park, on a day when the park was really busy with baseball games. I lost my oldest daughter for about 10 minutes before I found her. Panic and worry set in. In fact, I was about to call either my husband or the police when I finally found her.
The second story was even more scary because we lost my son for an entire hour on a Sunday morning in the Grand Canyon village camp ground.
There are definitely some lessons learned from both of these stories, and I throw in a bonus story about a time when I realized I needed to be a little more explicit with a child.
If you’ve ever lost a kid, I feel for you. I still feel a bit of shame about these times myself. But we are all imperfect parents doing our best. Live and learn!
Denita
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