Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

The last two days have been exhausting, with nine hour days watching the one and four year old grandsons. Their world is topsy-turvey, with mom gone back to work, and the younger boy never having known a time when his mother wasn't just right there. I have so much sympathy for my daughter and son-in-law. They are torn and guilty and overwhelmed. But I have to respect my abilities at my age, and I feel unable to do major child care helping. The next three days I pick up the one year old at noon and try to feed him lunch, get him down for a nap, and entertain him until mom picks him up after four. Today was his first day care day, and the school is easing him in by three half days this week and full time beginning Monday. So when I take him, he may have cried all morning. He'll adjust, just as his brother did, who now is looking forward to being back in his pre-K class. But it's a time of turmoil, and reminds me of all the struggles I had with childcare, and my own guilt and endless worry. I hope Biden can give some support to families and make the pain subside. Why our country is so antagonistic to families with children is unfathomable to me. Except that the men who run this country have never been put in such a position, and have no empathy for those who are not as priviledged as themselves.