A very obscure day of honor in comparison

Seems Americans have a day of honor for almost every citizen that resides in the US. We have Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, President's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Secretaries Day, Columbus Day, Bosses Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and a host of personal and religious holidays. Every year I hear about and am aware of these days as they come and go. The activities that different communities promote on these days are covered by the local news. Festivities across the United States are covered as well. It is wonderful that Americans take the time to celebrate and pay tribute to others who sacrifice something to at least someone even if it's their own children. Because honestly that is what makes the mark on a person's travel through their life. So recognizing and rewarding the efforts of the masses is a positive thing. Maybe we should have a day to celebrate all those who celebrate others. LOL Sincerely a day of recognition is important and I am glad we do that in this country. But sometimes in the hoopla, certain categories of responsible self-sacrificing individuals are swept under the rug or somewhat ignored for one reason or another.

For instance there is a day in America that we designate to celebrate a group of individual that give the same sacrifice as another group but doesn't receive the same appreciation. The day of tribute exists for them however it must be just as consolation rather than a truly heartfelt 'Atta boy'. I wonder with this group if it is the difficulty with which the people they give the most of themselves to are the same people who don't usually welcome them into their lives? In addition I wonder if the conundrum is caused by the fact that so many of us at one point have had this self-sacrificing individual playing a part in our lives. We usually encounter them in our childhood and we do not usually appreciate their intrusion into our world. Even if they have come to offer us their love, knowledge, care giving, guidance, and companionship not to mention monetary support, physical involvement such as transportation and sanitation, nutritional guidance and preparation, the list goes on. Then at the end of the day when all is said and done, they usually are people who are happy if we just call them friend. Eventually, most of us do come to see them in those terms. But early in the relationship all we can see as children are intruders. Regardless of the way they are regarded by us, they continue on coming back at us with love. Giving and sacrificing, just like a parent does.

These people, I am sure you have realized are the ones we call step parents. The people who go without so we can have things only for us to make fun of their efforts when they cannot hear. The people that we regard as not good enough for our real parent and certainly not nearly as good as our absent parent they are filling the void for. It is interesting how in some instances the absent birth parent leaves for an unknown selfish reason and barely if at all engages in the life of their child. Yet this adult who stepped into that responsibility holds fast day after day giving more than our natural parent ever attempted to give. Sometimes we grow up and recognize this and begin to treat out step parents with the love and respect that they truly deserve. Sometimes unfortunately we do not. On the other hand, there are naturally instances where the stepparent was even less qualified than our absentee parent was and in reality could care less about the child in their charge. It only makes sense that the remaining parent who married the absentee parent in the first place could make a second miss judgment about the stepparent being parent material as well. However, in all reality they wouldn't be there giving up what they must give up to make it work, when there are children involved unless they were pretty special people to begin with. It is our own confused loyalties and jealousies that create the step-monster image to be so widespread. We color their majority with our prejudices and never really come around to making that right.

It's sad to think that so many people who are willing to love us and our families when others ran quick as they could for fear of the additional responsibilities are so snubbed in this country. The people whom we give the most honor to are really the ones who are just doing after all what is expected of them Parents had children because they wanted a family. They were in love and they procreated and now we are honoring them for doing so? But the poor dirt bag that takes care of America's children and gets absolutely none of the reward either emotionally or personally is looked down upon and treated as if second class. Then we have the courage to complain to our friends and families how the other sex runs at the mention of children. Is it any wonder our choices become limited once we are parents? America as a whole is responsible here. There is a day to honor these individuals. This is truly amazing in two ways. One that we would have a step parent's day and allow it to become such an obscure event. I am now 55 years old and I had no idea until today that this day of honor even existed. It also amazes me that we even have to have a step parent's day on the calendar. After all most of these folks acted as parents in every sense of the word. Why if we are going to honor them do we present them with their day titled with a second class title, and then ignore that it exists anyway. I mean really people. Those of us that had the fun of procreating and then the glory of child birth need to work our Fannies off to correct this situation. We need to educate others, especially our children. And we need to honor the effort these people are making for other people's children.

We need to get it together and correct the wrong that "step" parents are experiencing or there will come a time when single parents are going to find other singles saying your choice now you can just stay that way, a SINGLE parent.