Alright class, today we’re going to talk about what makes a good and capable parent. I’d like you to think about what the qualities of a good and capable parent are then just yell them out and I’ll write them up here on the chalkboard.

Love, good. Compassion, excellent. What else? Patience, yes that is an absolute must. Fun? OK…Fun. Remember there are no wrong answers here. Maternal or Paternal instinct, very good one. Provider, I agree a parent needs to provide, not just material things but also some of these other words you’ve already said like Love and compassion. This is a great start. What are some other qualities of a good parent?

Eyesight?

A father from South Africa who is legally blind and whose wife died after a prolonged battle with cancer back in November has had his three children taken from him by the court system because they say he is incapable of caring for them. Despite taking care of his family for the four months while his wife was in the hospital, two days after her death he was informed by a social worker that the children were being removed from his care.

The man’s attorney claims that his client’s blindness was the main reason for the removal of the children; with another being that it was thought he did not have the financial means to look after them. Shit, I didn’t know it was OK for parents to lose custody of their kids simply because they struggle to earn the financial means to support them. Someone better tell the more than a quarter of all working families right here in the United States that are considered low-income or poor that they better start making more money or they’re going to lose their kids.

Oh but something like this would never happen here in the United States, right? I’m sure we all remember the recent story about the overweight Missouri man who was denied custody of his cousin’s son because he was obese. Amazingly, one gastric bypass later and 200lbs lighter and the child has been returned to the man and his wife who can now legally adopt him.

Thankfully, the South African Council for the Blind is helping the man financially with the case. “There are many examples where blind people have made excellent parents and where they operated independently.” said Jill Wagner, the Council’s National Executive Director.

So what makes a good and capable parent? Is it things like love, compassion, and patience or is it being thin and having all 5 of your senses?