Walking into my Palace de Infertility this morning, I happened upon something quite strange. A woman in the far corner of the waiting room was seated with a miniature person <gasp!> on her lap. Holy smokes, could that be...? A CHILD! At first glance, I thought, "Wow, that kid is really good." No crying, no screaming, no restlessness (which is more than I can say for myself in that place). Just sitting, buckled into mommy's lap and staring ahead at the new people surrounding her.
Choosing a seat, I was struck suddenly by two thoughts:
-This is the first time in ALL of my visits that I have seen a child (or even a pregnancy) in the waiting room.
And then...
-There are no toys here. No toy corner. No playroom. No children's book nook or Highlights magazine. Nothing.
I mean, I understand that the reason we're here is because we can't have babies, but it's still alarming to notice once again...this is not normal. Once again, I am in an abnormal setting that most people would find odd. I wondered if secondary infertile people leave their kid at home for all visits or if friends with kids are forced to do the same when accompanying a friend. I don't know. Yes, the no kid-zone is a good place to read a book, but it's also eery.
This is an infertility clinic, where EVERY single patron signing in is hoping and praying for a child. They want kids. All of them. Every last one. This isn't some adult club where we hang a sign on the door reading, "No kids allowed." And yet, there has never been a child, baby or pregnant person visible in any of my 9 thousand visits. I'd never even noticed. How ironic.
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