My sister proudly shared how she’s preparing her son for the “real world.”
I can’t help but wonder, which world is he in now?

He probably lives in more of a real world than my sister does. On the cusp of becoming a teenager he lives with bullying, teenage-related drama, and other things I won’t mention that make his world vivid and real.

Stepping outside of my nephew, let’s think of a baby. A baby emerges from its mother and greeted with blinding lights, humans in masks, and possibly gets spanked almost immediately to start crying. That sounds real to me.

Fast forward to end of life, I believe my dad’s existence at the end was vivid and dramatic. He couldn’t express himself with words, he was shitting the bed, he needed help to go to the bathroom — sounds real.

I can’t judge parents, I am not one. I do wonder if the parent lives in a world that is their hopes and fears for their offspring, and, if that world is influenced by the possible future or the fragmented past — none of which are now. That said, I can also imagine that if I suddenly had responsibility for another human’s life and development, it would be hard for me to operate otherwise, I’m sure of it. Mad respect to all the parents out there!

Last modified on 2026-02-09