"Who will take care of your kids when you can’t?”
Several years ago, a mother flew in from out of state to seek care for her children. She and her kids were to stay with a local family while her kids sought weekly care in the office. One of the boys in particular was having unique health issues. We requested his medical reports from home for us to review.
A week into care a huge stack of medical paperwork came in. We dove right in to investigate the medical history of this youngster, but some of the data didn’t add up. There were significant issues that the mother didn’t tell us about. In fact, there were referenced states of degeneration and decay that no young person should ever encounter. With confusion, we quickly looked to the front of the documents and the confusion was cleared.
The last name matched, but the first name didn’t. The medical documents that were sent to our office weren’t for the child. They were for the mother. The mother had some significant developing health issues. We knew then that we had to ask her some questions.
The following day, we approached her and asked why she wasn’t seeking chiropractic care. After all, she was here for a month. She acknowledged that she had health issues, and then proceeded to say those wonderful, selfless words that many parents might find themselves saying: “I just want to take care of my kids.”
I had to smile at the nobility of her request, but I knew that there was another side to that coin that sometimes as parents we don’t register. I had to show her. I responded, “You have some serious developing problems here. I can understand why you say what you’re saying, but who will take care of your kids when you can’t?” Her eyes were opened and she got started right away with care.
Selflessness. It’s a noble attribute that many people might take when there are others under their care. Selfishness is what it seems like if we do anything, spend anything, take any time to take care of our own needs. But what if taking care of your own needs, or in this case taking care of your own health, means that you can be better be able to take care of theirs?
When I shared this with the mother, it made sense to her. Hopefully it makes sense to you too, because surely someone out there depends on you too. Making sure that you’re healthy makes sure that you can be there for others when they need you most.
It’s just my “two cents” on the matter.
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