PARENTING November 14, 2005 Issue

GOD'S MOTHERING OPENS UP SOLUTIONS TO CHILD CARE

KIM CROOKS KORINEK

WHEN I WAS PREGNANT with our first child, it seemed natural to continue my job after the baby was born, as our family needed the two incomes. However, my feelings about work underwent a major shift. I wasn't prepared for the strong bond I felt with this wide-eyed bundle of joy and tenderness. My heart was getting tugged at in a big way because I didn't want to leave him.

Whenever I'm distressed, I pray. This time my prayer was an affirmation that God, my Father and Mother, was also my son's Father-Mother. I could trust this loving Parent to give me guidance about how to care for our child and give us exactly the type of care we needed. In one of Mary Baker Eddy's writings, she said, "... if you wait, never doubting, you will have all you need every moment" (Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896, p.307).

I knew that a divine power, also called Love, was working on my behalf, and on my son's behalf, toward a good solution—one that would bless every member of our family. Praying this way, I was more alert to possibilities and wasn't weighed down with worry or guilt.