Imagine a New Generation

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen. 

There are not enough people in this world who would take in a person and feed them and treat them like they are their own child, pay for the college and make them dinner every night. Not enough people will take in just one person, let alone two. This summer I have spent nannying for a beautiful family consisting of two parents and six boys. While I spend the majority of my day with the youngest boys (Hayden 6, Brody & Adam 4) I have noticed just by watching them how wonderful their parents really are. Their oldest son is a Marine, his friends Raymond and Berry both live in the house as well. They do their laundry there and have dinner with the family every night. While Berry just moved in this summer Raymond has been there for a while. The parents got his senior pictures taken and they are framed on the wall, they threw him a graduation party, they went to his orientation for college with him, hell they have loans out to send him to college & most importantly every mothers day Raymond gives Beth a card, and Beth calls him her son. People say that blood is thicker than water but walking to the pool one day Hayden said to me that sometimes water makes blood feel better. The younger boys don't see that Raymond and Berry are a different skin color, in fact they talk about trying to be as tan as them. And rather this is just blissful ignorance of a child or the new generations retaliation against the hate that so many people have been raised in, I think it is wonderful. 

You learn a lot about the parents of the child you babysit for through the child's behavior and questions. To say I love these boys would be an understatement, they make me angry but quickly make me laugh, and having one of them turn their head when I open the door and say "Tourtney!" easily makes my day. There is no better feeling then having one crawl up into my lap just to watch TV. I love their parents simply for being apart of them. But recently I loved their parents a bit more. While putting sunscreen on Hayden, he asked me why a boy and a boy couldn't get married. I replied by telling him that they can in some states just not here, that some people think it is wrong. Hayden quickly asked where boys and boys and girls and girls can get married. Well I said for instance where I go to school. "In Iowa?" Yes Hayden in Iowa. He looks up at me and says "I think that is cool." 

Beth and Craig are perhaps some of the coolest parents I have ever met. They have pictures all over their house. They support all 6 of their sons in whatever they want to do, and their kids friends don't even have to knock to enter the house, they walk in freely and whenever. Not only are they the most relaxed parents but they are teaching their younger children so much about the value of diversity in this world, they are not only teaching them not to hate and discriminate but showing them. There should be more people such as them. Knowing that these boys will one day grow up and walk around with their beliefs in their hearts as I do now, gives me hope for a world that needs people with values like theirs.