Dear Caregivers,
Thank you for the child you leave me with each evening. And my sincerest apologies for the version of that child I deliver to you many mornings. Bedraggled, exhausted, and unwashed—and that was just me.
Seriously, the work you do warrants the utmost appreciation and respect.
As parents, we know full-well how wonderful and how challenging our children are. Your day-to-day is filled with our most wonderful challenges—or is it our most challenging wonderfulness? You deal with it so well, and my respect grows for all caregivers the longer I’m a parent myself.
You are unphased by dirty diapers, unexhausted by empty snack cups and hungry tummies, able to generate activity ideas more quickly than my child changes their mind, and thoughtful amidst the disarray of youthful discovery. You have answers to my anxious questions, a patient ear for the “new” strategy I try to share with you, and grace in juggling the demands of one of the world’s most non-stop jobs.
Your magic spreads beyond even when my child is with you. Your care creates space and capacity that our family could never produce on our own. Your presence in our lives lets my child and I love each other better. You’re not an alternative to my relationship with my child—you directly enhance it.
And I trust you.
I miss my child when I’m not with them—but I don’t worry about them. And that’s thanks to you.
Peace of mind as a parent isn’t exactly easy to come by, but your integrity, care, and expertise provides that. I trust you, and I’m unendingly grateful that I do.
I depend on you. We depend on you.
Our kids are the future.
The future depends on you.
Love,
Parents
Luke Chitwood is a writer, non-profit professional, and education advocate based in Chicago. A beginner-level husband and father, you can find him wrangling words and images, in perpetual pursuit of his next cup of coffee.
