Should instincts be relative when it comes to parenting? Before I go on, this is my personal opinion, and yes, it reeks of hypocrisy. I mean, I belong to the school of thought that says you never know how you will react until you find yourself in similar situations. Yet, here I am. This brain and her tricks.
I started writing with the certainty that nobody should react the way that woman did, but you know the beauty of writing? Understanding different perspectives, researching, learning, and unlearning, so as not to just throw your 2 cents without passing an actual message across.
I saw this short clip on Twitter that had a lot going on in it, and while some of us have unknowingly drifted from the actual tragedy that is the loss of life, sadly. I cannot help but think about the “fight-or-flight” response that occurred.
Now, here I am, wondering what it means to have a protective instinct. I would have loved to call it parenting instinct, but I possess it and I am not a parent yet.
In an article I saw online from Britannica, it was said that instinct is an inborn impulse or motivation to action, typically performed in response to specific external stimuli. Today, instinct is generally described as a stereotyped, apparently unlearned, genetically determined behavior pattern. I found this quite interesting.
There are days when I go for a walk with my niece and nephews, you will find that I am always on guard. Not because I am hoping for something bad to happen, but because I know I am responsible for these kids or these ignorant innocent creatures with me.
I go out with my younger sister, and as much as we jokingly say, “if there is danger and you don’t run when I run, then you are not a serious human,” although we laugh it off, I promise you, I am always on guard. My instincts say to protect her first, because I would rather it be me than this human that I love and care for.
So in this video, you find a mother and her child standing close to what I think is a fuel pump, and there was a shooting. The man that got shot was standing close to this woman and her child, and the next thing you see is the mother running and screaming, leaving her child behind (you could literally see Mr Scream jump right out of her throat, ahead of her, running for its dear life too).
But guess what? This child, who shouldn’t be more than three years old, was seen holding two bags, screaming “mama” while running after her, yet he didn’t fling those bags away (that’s a clueless responsible toddler if you ask me, lol).
Anyway, there’s a group of people justifying what the mom did, and there’s another group castigating what she did. Both groups have valid points I’d honestly agree with.
I have come to understand that it isn’t the mom’s fault, I give her the benefit of the doubt because fear is really not your mate. But at the same time, I still can’t help but try to understand why a mother would react that way.
I am not a mom yet, so I might not have an accurate answer. Still, that to me, is being reckless, and this is why millennials and Gen Z’s alike need to think hard about why they want kids before having any.
Humans are social animals who have a predisposition to protect themselves and those closest to them biologically. However, it isn’t something every individual has in equal measure, and some have none of it at all.
While I understand that some things are easier said than done, I just feel like this is one of those rare exceptions because I have seen parental instincts at work and they’re beautiful to experience, especially from a third-party view. I’ve seen how parents, without thinking, protect their children and are amused by how their reflexes come into play. Now imagine my amazement watching it as a neutral person.
People should think about why they want kids. It is not just about procreation or leaving a legacy behind. Being a parent is the most important job of all, especially if it was at will.
It’s a hard-knock life out there, and you are meant to be responsible for these humans that you decided to bring into this world. At least until they become of age and can differentiate wrong from right.
In the absence of everything else, I hope we continuously grow to be better responsible adults and parents.
