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Fortunate child

The loving style with which most of us parent our children seems to be a new pattern of behavior. Where our grandparents worked all the time to make end's meat, and our parents practically raised themselves; our parents then turned around and prospered, passing that thriving attitude and happier well-being onto us. Even though my mom was never home, we also never went without; and when she was home we were treated well. In hindsight I feel she could have been more involved, and perhaps stricter in many ways, but we were never hit, and certainly never neglected.
Now, as a mother myself, I am so involved that I forget to take any time for myself. She is old enough now to spend time away from me, yet she never has. She is old enough to entertain herself, but always with a watchfull eye from Bryan or myself gazing on her. I feel so close to her that when we sleep I cannot differentiate her body from mine. When she feels something, I often feel it as well! I cherish the closeness that I am fortunate enough to have, only because I am able to be home with my child, unlike the generations before.
We are also more educated with every passing year. I receive a weekly newsletter informing me about my toddler, including activities, growth, and social progression; all of which keep me better informed than ever about the love of my life. I am able, and willing, to be the best parent the world has seen, and I have the tools and resources to make this so. How lucky are we these days to have such abilities? So many children were neglected due to working parents, or even unhealthy angry parents suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction. Children today are given the world, hugged, kissed, encouraged, challenged, and comforted in ways that my parents never dreamed of.
My father, throughout his childhood was completely neglected. He roamed about a small town in Oklahoma climbing trees and houses, having countless near-death experiences before the age of ten. His parents were barely there, emotionally or physically. To this day, he has real problems with the neglect he suffered, feeling as though he is owed more love and support than he ever received. My mother raised her two younger sisters because her mother was sick with emphysema (cigarette induced) and her father worked 80 hours a week to keep enough beans in the cupboard to keep his family alive.
My daughter, conversely, has a parent with her at all times. She eats fresh fruits and vegetables, takes a multi-vitamin, and never leaps without a parental net. How fortunate we all are, truly.