The Baby Whisperer

Colleen Mastony in an article titled “The Baby Whisperer” from the Chicago Tribune writes about Becky O’Connell who has been given a unique unofficial title—"The Baby Whisperer." “Officially, the 65-year-old woman is a temporary foster care worker. According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, ‘She keeps baby clothes arranged by size in the guest room. The hand-knit caps are stacked on a table near the door. And the white wicker bassinet is always within reach.’ Becky O'Connell is prepared because at any moment of the day or night she could receive a call from a social worker who needs to place an infant in her care. Some of the children have been abandoned. Others have been abused. All of them are desperate for love, for touch, and for attention. So far Ms. O'Connell has taken in 77 infants, or about seven babies per year that stay from one night to four months.

The road to this unique call wasn't easy. In 1999 her youngest son, Ian, was killed in a car accident. ‘For years and years after (his death), I couldn't concentrate,’ she says. ‘I looked and acted like a normal person, but you don't feel like a normal person.’ A few years later, as she was just beginning to regain her balance, she read an ad from a local adoption agency. They needed someone to be a temporary foster parent for newborns. To O'Connell, who had always loved babies, it sounded like a dream job.

If she has a secret, she says, it is simply giving each child her undivided attention. She adds, ‘People think that babies bring a lot of disorder and confusion to a household,’ she says. ‘But I'm here to tell you it's not the babies who are disordered and confused. It's the adults.’ O'Connell simply says, ‘My job is to fall in love with these babies.’"

On this Mother’s Day we are reminded of the kind of love that characterizes a mom. Whether they are foster moms or birth moms, nobody does it better. That’s why mom’s may be the most significant influencers in history. Consider the fact that in most cases, when a child wants to play, they tend toward dad. But when a child wants comfort, they go to mom; when a child wants to eat, they go to mom; when a child is sick, they turn to mom, and when a child has a physical need, they look to mom. Moms are uniquely and God-gifted at responding to a child in these areas. Now, I know that fathers can do the same things for a child and are certainly essential in the parenting of children. (Father’s Day is coming) But there are some areas where a child’s initial default is almost always toward mom. And since today is Mother’s Day, let’s give our moms their due.

And since we are talking about their “due.” Just how much is a mom worth? A recent Salary.com survey of 19,000 moms reported that given all the various roles a stay-at-home mom fulfills in the normal household based on real-time market prices would equate on average to a salary of $184,820!  And let’s not forget the working moms where the data revealed that they are spending on average 54 hours each week managing the home front in addition to the hours they work outside the home. Added all up they are spending 107 hours each week between home and work. In the end, the survey revealed that the mom role includes more than 20 different positions.

Thanks Moms! Happy Mother’s Day! And to all, remember God is always trying to take you someplace new. I love being your Pastor!

For God’s Glory Alone,

Pastor Ray

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