I’ve always thought that the phrase “I’m going to have a baby” should be banned. In its place, if we all said “I’m going to raise a child,” I believe men and women would be forced to view this event in a different way. We would never say “I’ve just had a baby.” It would be “I’ve just started raising my child.”
Women (especially those with a ticking biological clock) think about the sweet, cute, cuddly infant who they gently rock to sleep. Sometimes, they don’t think about raising this human being beyond the infant stage and into childhood, the teen years and their young adult life. If we were all taught from day one to say “I’m going to raise a child,” I believe it could make a big difference!
People who have not yet had children do not know that having the baby is really the easy part (and most of the time nature takes care of that). But nature does not take care of the day-to-day responsibilities that come with raising the child. I just wonder if attitudes could be changed with that simple change of phrase. As you so often say, Dr. Laura, words matter!
Beth
Say This Instead of “I’m Going to Have a Baby”
