Congratulations, you were conceived in 2020! Pandemic babies, corona-babies, quarantine babies… whatever people call you, you’re coming into the world at a very interesting time. There are a lot of memes and jokes going around that say your parents “stocked up on the wrong kind of protection,” or that they failed at social distancing. There are people joking that you’re the product of boredom or “Netflix and chill” gone wrong.
Babies, I need you to know that you are oh so right. You are not a mistake, you’re a miracle. You’re not just a by-product of a pandemic, a result of miserable time spent in lockdown, or a visual representation of your parents’ inability to cope with 2020 by watching The Office for the 800th time. Babies, you are here for a reason.
You are important.
You matter.
You are valuable.
You are needed.
I’m sure there are people out there who think that it’s a tragedy to bring another human into this world. And it’s true that our world is a tough place. There is tragedy, violence, pain, and hardship here. There is hate and hurt and lots of selfishness. We’ve got greed on speed dial and jealousy on repeat and don’t even get me started on the racism, sexism, intolerance, and comparison we’re wading through.
But, babies, that’s why we need you.
We need you to remind us that the world can be different. We need you to show up and give us a reason to hope, ideals to work toward, a future worth creating. If we won’t work to fix things for you, then who will we fix them for?
Babies, we need what you are. We need your softness and your smooshy little feet. We need you to remind us of the raw humanity into which we’ve all been born. We need you to be an example to us of fresh eyes and unsullied perspective. We need you to draw us out of our own selfishness and teach us what it really means to sacrifice ourselves for another. We need you to break us and strip us of who we think we are so that we can find the people we were meant to be. We need you to show up and melt our hardened hearts, so that we’re better able to embrace our vulnerabilities and faults and then grow because of them.
Yes, you’re being born into a world full of fighting, corruption, and abuse. But you’re the answer. You’re the second chance, the eggs in our basket, the potential change we’re nurturing and growing not under the illusion that we’re leaving you a perfect world, but in hopes that you will make a difference.
When you kick in the womb, you’re proving that you’re here to take up space. When you scream at 3 am, you’re proving your ability to speak truth into darkness. When you dirty yet another diaper, we see that you’re capable of affecting change…even if you have to make a stink to get it done. Your heartbeat alone should be cause for us to sit up and take notice. You’re here and you’re already making waves.
Babies, this is a complicated time and your parents might have complicated emotions when it comes to welcoming you. That’s okay. It’s real and it’s normal and I promise you’ll probably have complicated emotions welcoming them into parts of your own life at some point. I promise we’re all doing our best to be worthy of you. Forgive us when we mess up. After all, it’s a total myth that we grown-ups have it all together. The sooner you know that, the better, honestly.
Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I’m glad you’re here. I’m so excited you’re going to be joining us earthside and I can’t wait to see what you make of things. It’ll be messy, for sure. Birth and life always are. But there’s beauty in the raw realness of it all and I can’t wait to see what beauty you make of this muddled world you’re entering into.
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