Friday, April 22, 2011

Parent and Guardian

I remember reading a permission slip on my walk home from school.  It was for a field trip, and at the bottom, it said "Signature of Parent or Guardian."  I knew what parent meant, obviously, and I contemplated the word Guardian with a mind filled with Narnia and Middle Earth.

My brain came up with something like this:

And I thought, that kid with a Guardian is so lucky!

I promptly told my mom that I wanted a Guardian.  She explained what the word actually meant, that some children don't have parents and a guardian is someone who takes care of them if their parents can't.  I decided I didn't want a guardian after all.

guard·i·an
noun /ˈgärdēən/ 
guardians, plural
  1. A defender, protector, or keeper
  2. A person who looks after and is legally responsible for someone who is unable to manage their own affairs, esp. an incompetent or disabled person or a child whose parents have died

  3. The superior of a Franciscan convent

Now, as a parent, I'll get to sign that "parent or guardian" line.  I'm going to cross out the "or" and replace it with "and."
















A guardian is a defender, protector and keeper.  Not owner, not king.  A guardian holds the gate, standing between their charge and the evils of the world.   "You shall not pass", he cries to the beast of flame, not while he can stop you.  His mere presence implies that what he guards is valuable and precious, worthy of protection.  His sword is never directed toward his charge, but outward.

I am my son's parent and guardian.  I am not his owner or his master.  It is my solemn duty to protect him from harm, no matter the cost.  He is precious and fragile, and the world is not always kind or safe.  I may not have a sword (well, ok, Dave has a cool Claymore for Highland festivals...) but I would still give my life to keep him safe.  It's not my job to "make him into a man" - that will happen on its own.  I am powerful, but I do not need to wield power against him.  I won't even let the little dragons in (well, maybe the nice dragons).


Are you also your child's guardian?  What does that mean to you?

13 comments:

  1. Beautiful!!! Thank you so much for this. Sharing on FB. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello everyone i Am williams pater and i am from USA i am here to give my testimony about an herbal doctor called Dr,olu I was heartbroken because i had very small penis,not nice to satisfy a woman, i have been in so many relationship, but cut off because of my situation, i have used so many product which doctors prescribe for me, but could not offer me the help i searched for. i saw some few comments on the internet about this specialist called Dr,OLU and decided to email him on his email i saw on the internet,(drolusolutionhome@gmail.com ) so I decided to give his herbal product a try. i emailed him and he got back to me, he gave me some comforting words with his herbal product for Penis Enlargement, Within three weeks of me use it, i began to feel the enlargement, " and now it just 4 weeks of using his products my penis is about 8 inches longer, and i had to settle thing out with my ex girlfriend , i was surprised when she said that she is satisfied with my performance in bed and i now have a large penis.thanks to DR OLU for is herbal product. you can also reach him with emsil drolusolutionhome@gmail.com though is..number WHATASPP him today on this number [ +2348140654426 ]

      Delete
  2. I signed my first permission slip a few months ago when my son's school was going on a field trip to a pumpkin patch. The parent/guardian thing crossed my mind. I am both and I always will be. That is the commitment I made when I gave birth to him.

    I love the idea of crossing out the "or" and replacing it with "and!" Mind if I steal it?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've enjoyed reading your blog so I just passed along a blogging award to you. Check out my post from today and pick it up for your website. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good and another post from you admin :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Loved this post! Exactly how I feel about my children!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi, I enjoy reading your site! Is it okay if I contact you through email? Please email me back.

    Thanks!

    Harry
    harry.roger10 gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nice meet admin,
    Here i have found your blog from the first page of Google and it's really
    to hear about your voice,
    By the away, here the Colourful Baby with some good stuff for the USA babies. And you
    can visit our officil website best baby walker thanks

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi there,

    I’m the Community Manager with Anagram Interactive, where we specialize in connecting established brands with prominent bloggers. We’re currently working with Paperless Post, a company that designs customizable online and printed stationery, to show that communication can be personal and well-designed regardless of the medium.

    Paperless Post has partnered with several world-famous designers and lifestyle brands, including kate spade new york, Oscar de la Renta, Jonathan Adler, and Rifle Paper Co., and has delivered over 85 million cards to date. Since you have such an engaging and beautifully-designed blog, we’d like to offer you 600 Paperless Post digital Coins (a $60 value) for free to try out our online service and write about your experience.

    We really think you’ll enjoy Paperless Post and can’t wait to hear what you think. Please let me know if this is something you’d be interested in and I’ll show you how to get started.

    Best,
    Ann
    ann@anagraminteractive.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello everyone i Am williams pater and i am from USA i am here to give my testimony about an herbal doctor called Dr,olu I was heartbroken because i had very small penis,not nice to satisfy a woman, i have been in so many relationship, but cut off because of my situation, i have used so many product which doctors prescribe for me, but could not offer me the help i searched for. i saw some few comments on the internet about this specialist called Dr,OLU and decided to email him on his email i saw on the internet,(drolusolutionhome@gmail.com ) so I decided to give his herbal product a try. i emailed him and he got back to me, he gave me some comforting words with his herbal product for Penis Enlargement, Within three weeks of me use it, i began to feel the enlargement, " and now it just 4 weeks of using his products my penis is about 8 inches longer, and i had to settle thing out with my ex girlfriend , i was surprised when she said that she is satisfied with my performance in bed and i now have a large penis.thanks to DR OLU for is herbal product. you can also reach him with emsil drolusolutionhome@gmail.com though is..number WHATASPP him today on this number [ +2348140654426 ]

    ReplyDelete
  10. DR EMU WHO HELP PEOPLE IN ANY TYPE OF LOTTERY NUMBERS
    It is a very hard situation when playing the lottery and never won, or keep winning low fund not up to 100 bucks, i have been a victim of such a tough life, the biggest fund i have ever won was 100 bucks, and i have been playing lottery for almost 12 years now, things suddenly change the moment i came across a secret online, a testimony of a spell caster called dr emu, who help people in any type of lottery numbers, i was not easily convinced, but i decided to give try, now i am a proud lottery winner with the help of dr emu, i won $1,000.0000.00 and i am making this known to every one out there who have been trying all day to win the lottery, believe me this is the only way to win the lottery.

    Dr Emu can also help you fix this issues

    (1)Ex back.
    (2)Herbal cure & Spiritual healing.
    (3)You want to be promoted in your office.
    (4)Pregnancy spell.
    (5)Win a court case.

    Contact him on email Emutemple@gmail.com
    What's app +2347012841542
    Website Https://emutemple.wordpress.com/
    Https://web.facebook.com/Emu-Temple-104891335203341

    ReplyDelete
  11. I appreciate how you seem to be everywhere. I see you more than I read every time I come over here to read something. Keep it up, it's a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Are you a cricket fan looking for some interesting betting tips? look no further. This is the perfect place for you! Browse hundreds of bets on thousands of cricket matches and start betting today.Appabook is a widely available online sports betting site which provides online cricket id and is the most trusted bookmaker in the country. It has an exclusive deal for online sports betting in the entire country. Appa Book is the online cricket id provider in india.

    ReplyDelete