Daycare heartbreak...

So as you all know Lucy goes to daycare a few days a week. This morning was for whatever reason a difficult day for me to leave her. I hate walking out the door and not having her with me throughout the day. Anyway, on with the story...
As I was standing there taking forever to say goodbye to my little girl a mom walks in with her son, he is already in tears. She promptly tells Diana (the owner/operator of the daycare) that he has a doctors appointment at 9:30, she signs him in and walks out the door...all while I stood there in tears. Poor Elijah just stood there crying at the door it was heartbreaking. I asked Diana, "Does it get easier like that?" She sighed and said, "for most moms, no" and then proceeded to tell me the story of Elijah...
His parents aren't married, he is passed from mom to dad to grandma and back and forth. This past week was his first time at daycare too. It is the first time he has ever had a stable schedule since he is passed around so much. She said he struggles greatly in part because each of the adults caring for him have let him be a "TV kid." Now, don't get me wrong there's nothing wrong with a little TV but letting the TV be the baby sitter is something I struggle with.
Because Elijah is passed around so much his mom is perfectly okay leaving him without a word. She walked out that door this morning without a hug or an "I love you." And all Elijah could do was stand at the door staring after her. I felt my heart breaking for this little boy...


How many kids go through life this way? How many have grandma and grandpa for parents since their parents pass them off so easily? How many kids go each day without hearing "I love you" and getting a hug? I can't stand the thought of leaving Lucy, how can some parents so easily drop their kids off without a hint of remorse? I hate letting Lucy get babysat by her grandma's because I hate feeling like I'm missing out on her life. I couldn't imagine sending her to dad's or grandma's regularly. I am so very grateful that Tyler and I are a married couple and that she will be raised with a mom and dad together. It's easy to forget how important that is sometimes when you are so focused on everything else going on. Seeing Elijah and his mom this morning made me all the more grateful for moments like these:

playing with daddy

talking to daddy on Christmas morning

our family on Christmas eve

  I'm so very grateful for my husband and the fact that he is a wonderful father. I am grateful that even on bad days we still love each other. I'm grateful for my daughter and the wonderful baby that she is. I'm grateful that we are a family that spends time together, laughs together, and works at being together. I'm grateful to think that one day Lucy will be able to run into our room on Christmas morning and wake up mommy and daddy at the same time...that we won't have to decide which parent gets to have her on Christmas day... I'm grateful my job allows me to only need to take her to daycare 3 1/2 days a week. I'm lucky to tell my daughter every day just how much I love her because it really is a blessing to be able to say that to her every day...