Hold tightly

In the wake of the unthinkable tragedy in Connecticut, I have heard countless people, from an older gentleman I'd never met at 7-11, to the President of the United States say that we will all hold our children a little bit closer.  So imagine my shock when Dr. Drew, who I'm not the biggest fan of, and Supernanny, who I'm also not the biggest fan of, were discussing whether or not it is appropriate for parents to allow their children to come into bed with them if they are scared in the next few weeks.

ARE YOU SERIOUS!!??  Why is this even up for discussion!?  What is the fear in holding our children AND each other close?  Are we really scared that we will create codependent children by loving them too much?  I just don't understand!  What on earth could we possibly gain by pushing our children away when they need us most?

We are becoming so disconnected form human touch it's scary!  We hardly even speak face to face with people anymore as it is, and now some "expert" is going to tell me when I should and shouldn't allow my scared child to cling to me?  Why is is that when we as adults are feeling sad or scared for our children that we get to hold them tighter and sneak into their rooms to watch them sleep, but if they are scared we question whether or not they should be allowed to hug us tighter or gasp, bother us when we are sleeping.

When did children become such a massive inconvenience?

If you are feeling sad or scared in the middle of the night do you cuddle up a little closer to your partner? (dogs included!)  Do you have a hard time sleeping soundly?  I imagine you do, and so why as a culture do we expect anything different from children.  Why is a scared toddler seen as an annoyance rather than an opportunity to hold tightly to the love of your life.  It is easy to see children as tiny adults with developed coping skills and control over their emotions, but they are not little adults, they are immature, dependent, emotional children and they NEED YOU!!!!!!

And that's okay!  I promise your college age child won't want to cuddle in bed with you when they are scared, but if they do I imagine most parents would welcome it.  I know I would.   I could go on and on about this topic in which I feel quite strongly about, but I'll save the ranting and raving for another time.  In the mean time, hold whatever you want as close as you want.  I'm no "expert," but I doubt anybody has ever wished they were loved less.