The Most Important Job

"The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world."

My sisters have both written on motherhood this week - I guess their minds are focused on it from the celebration of Mother's Day last weekend but that isn't what I mean to write about.  Not exclusively, anyway.

Of course, as the above quote implies, it is about those people who are raising up children.  Those people who are impacting the next generation each hour, each day of their lives.  I want to celebrate mothers but also fathers, grandparents, babysitters, whoever is pouring themselves into children on a daily, usually hourly, basis.  Whoever the primary caregivers are.

I know of kids being raised by gransparents, aunts and uncles, or foster parents.  I know of a particular young single woman who has become a foster parent en lieu of the as-yet-future family she wants for herself.  She is taking the opportunity to give love and care to someone else's child for whom she holds no responsibility - what a blessing she is being to that child.

I am convinced that these people have the most important job on earth.


I know of many instances where a child has been taken from a situation of abuse or neglect and brought into a loving home whether to live for a time, permanently or just while their parent works and that child has just blossomed under the love and care they are given.

A couple of weeks back I was volunteering in the nursery of my church and a five year old girl who has been recently taken into the foster care of a family at the church asked me to work on a puzzle with her.  It was a simple puzzle that my four year old and other children had already demonstrated to be beneath their capabilities but this five year old struggled.  She wanted to do the puzzle about ten times and each time she did so much better.  I could tell from her quick learning that she is a very bright little girl but struggled with confidence and even the dexterity to manuveur the puzzle pieces as easily as a five year old should be able to.  I could tell she hadn't done very many puzzles.  But by the last time, although she was still slightly clumsy with the piece itself she knew where each piece went and she was extremely pleased at her accomplishment.

That short little interaction was a good example to me of what a difference it makes to have a loving adult beside a child encouraging and helping them to learn.

I am always impressed by the sacrifice primary caregivers give to their children.  It may not feel like it as they change diaper 2,785 or listen to the same made-up joke that doesn't make sense for the up-teenth time but what they are doing matters. They truly do "rule the world."