As I read and watch the coverage of the His Royal Highness Prince of Cambridge, I can’t help but be saddened for Prince William and Princess Kate. Now, just to be clear, I don’t care anything about the royal family. For one, they’re from England, and two, there are babies born every minute that need a lot more attention than this little bloke. The reason that
I’m saddened for Will and Kate is that their special private moment is being shared with the world, as will their every parental move from this point on.
The new prince shares his birthday with my firstborn son. Their beginnings are quite different though. Nobody was there to greet us as we left the hospital in the rain. There were no crowds. But we were the happiest people in the world that day. I held tightly to the baby carrier as we hailed a cab. The car pulled up and my wife buckled our baby boy into place. I was so in love with my wife that day and so proud of her.
The cab dropped us off at the curb outside our small one-bedroom apartment. My mother-in law was inside already cleaning and preparing our home for us. Without saying many words, we walked into the bedroom and placed our son’s sleeping body inside a hand-me-down crib. My wife quickly went to sleep and there I sat on the edge of the bed between two people that I loved so incredibly much. I looked at both of them as they rested and I cried and prayed. At that moment, I felt complete. I also felt like my family was together against the world and there wasn’t anything that could hold us back. It was a special moment for me that I’ll always cherish.
I watched the interview with the Prince as he left the hospital with his new son, and his happiness too was obvious. The Princess looked tired but happy, like most mothers do. (I’m sure most moms would love to have a team of people make them over before they leave the hospital, but that is a blog post for someone else.) They handled themselves perfectly with the crowds closing in on them, microphones shoving their way forward, and cameras snapping. But that was when I became sad for them. They are not going to have that moment I had — that moment where it is just them, alone, together. There will always be someone trying to be a part of their moment. And I find that to be quite unfair.
My son was born into a poor family fighting for a future in Queens. His Royal Highness Prince of Cambridge, the grandson of a real Queen, was born into a life of luxury and entitlement. My son has been granted the freedom to be a boy, but the new little prince will live under a microscope. The idea of being Royalty sounds intriguing, but I’ll take my family’s humble beginnings into parenthood over a royal team any day.
Hopefully the team of parenting experts will leave the new parents alone and let them learn as they go. Sure, they’ll make some mistakes along the way, but fixing those broken moments creates a stronger family.
Click here for some tips on taking care of a new born. http://thejasongreene.com/2013/02/27/550/
To read about my second child’s birth, click here. http://thejasongreene.com/2013/07/10/7-years-ago-she-fit-in-my-hand-now-she-fills-my-heart/
Well said, and oh so true.
This may sound cold, but I think they (meaning the parents) are used to the scrutiny. I am sure it is not easy. However, the kid will have no choice but to get used to it.
Did you see the movie the Truman Show?