Helpless sniffling mess
I don't even know why I'm crying. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that there is an infant boy, barely 16 hours old, who will go to sleep in the absence of loving arms tonight. And I can't do anything about it. And I can't help.
One of our friends gave birth to said infant boy this morning. He is the fruit of a one-night-stand with a person who has treated her like crap since finding out she was pregnant. Knowing she wasn't ready to be a mother, knowing she does not yet want to be a mother, realizing she wants nothing more to do with this child than to give it life and set it free, at first she was going to choose adoption. For reasons unbeknownst to me, the father decided he would step up to the plate and claim the child and raise it on his own. But for months he'd taunt our friend, saying that he'd force her to spend time with it, would constantly send her pictures, etc.
Well, he's gone from that to letting his girlfriend of 5 months pick out the child's name and telling our friend that if there's a name she'd like to see the child have, she can let him know and he and said girlfriend of 5 months will put it on the list of potential middle names. And now he doesn't even want to take the baby home until there have been conclusive paternity tests done, even though it's definitely his.
I know there is a lot a family has to go through to be considered for fostering a child, and there are so many good people in the foster care system, and that we only think it's so bad because we only hear about the handful of bad families, but for some reason I’m sitting here bawling over the fact that this baby is going to be with "strangers" until this guy gets his freaking paternity results.
I just want to go to the hospital, pick that baby up and kiss his little head and cheeks and nose and fingers and toes and snuggle him tight and say "I'm sorry your father's being such an asshat, but there are a lot of people who love you very much. You'll be just fine."
Posted by beenie at April 23, 2003 09:51 PM