Who's Needs Rule?

Let’s put aside all the financial, societal and fulfillment issues for a moment. What is the absolute perfect place for a six week old baby to be? Three month old? Year old? Can anyone really say that it doesn’t matter? Or that a baby is better off in the care of an overworked, underpaid babysitter? I don’t think anyone who honestly looks at baby’s needs would say that at all. We should all be able to agree that baby is best off at home nestled to mommy’s breast. In fact, my experience and research says home with mommy, surrounded by big brothers and sisters all day. This is where baby will get the comfort, stimulation, and love he needs to grow up mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually sound. If we acknowledge this, where than does the decision for mom to work or not come in? Who’s needs should come first? Mom’s need for some mythical “fulfillment”? (and, ladies, it is a myth. Fulfillment comes from Jesus and a choice to be content no matter what circumstances you find yourself in.) Dad’s need for a bigger house or fancier car? Or baby’s need for his mommy’s arms? The Bible commands us to put the needs of others before our own; to treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves. If you were a little baby, who would you want taking care of you? Yeah, yeah, I know. You went to college and now have so much debt you can’t stay home. You married a jerk and now are a single mom. You have some other obligation that you can’t get out of that keeps you in the working world. You can’t unscramble the egg. Deal with what you can do and don’t worry about the rest. God will supply and children know the difference between a true need to work and being dumped because mom can’t be bothered. But the fact is that most moms actually do have a choice. They could cut their expenses down and afford to stay home if they really wanted to (especially if you figure the cost of daycare, commute expenses, lunch out while at work, more convenience foods, and more expensive clothes and beauty salon treatments necessary for the working world plus the higher tax bracket). Some might need to downsize their house or trade a new car in for a used, but it could be done way more than it is. The problem is the number of people who worship the god Self. It is the American God. Self demands our own desires come before anyone else’s. But no matter how hard we try, self will never be satisfied. As Christians, we must denounce Self and worship only the One True God. This means following His commands, including “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” We must treat our neighbors, including those living in the next room of our homes, as ourselves. This means we must put our baby’s needs above our own.