Our first "child"

I've decided that while taking care of a dog is not quite the same as taking care of a child, it's still good preparation for new parents.

Yesterday, for example, we dropped off little Molly at the vet's office to have her teeth cleaned. I felt guilty having to leave her in an unfamiliar place all day long to go through an uncomfortable procedure. I even prayed for her safety on my way to work (yes, I'm that pathetic).

When I picked her up in the afternoon, she wasn't her usual perky self (still groggy from the anesthesia), and all I wanted to do was give her a big hug and let her rest in the comfort of home all evening. But first, I had to get her home.

It was only a five-minute drive (if that), but by the time I was turning onto our street, Molly had begun making gagging noises. "No, Molly--hold on for just 15 seconds!" I said as I zoomed toward our driveway. But alas--she puked all over the floor of my car.

I could say that this is good parental preparation because of all the messes (including puke) that we'll have to clean up. But it's good preparation in other ways too--like in how it reminds us that those we love don't always deserve our love and sometimes don't make it easy to love, but we choose to love anyway. Our child will sometimes be noisy, expensive, messy, and disobedient. But for some reason, we'll love him no less with each new fiasco. And unlike Molly, someday he'll be able to tell us that he loves us back. That's worth cleaning up a little puke now and then.

The convenience of kids

Before I got pregnant, I thought a lot about how inconvenient children must be. You love them, sure, but they certainly make life a bit more complex. But recently, I've started realizing all the things kids are incredibly convenient for. One particular example comes to mind:

When Trey and I went on a cruise a few weeks ago, I couldn't resist the temptation to try out all the water slides on the boat, pregnant belly and all. But standing in line behind 4 or 5 six-year-olds made me feel just a wee bit silly. Then I noticed right behind me was a man who looked to be in his late 30s. Sweet! I wasn't the only adult! My triumph was cut short when I realized he was consoling his daughter and assuring her the slide would be fun. "See, I'm right here," he said. "I'll go down with you, and it won't be scary at all!"

So, I have to admit, of the many things I'm looking forward to about starting a family, I'm really looking forward to using our children as an excuse to continue doing all of those things that I apparently have not quite outgrown. Our kids are sure to embarrass me on occasion, right? So I think it's only fair that they save me from some embarrassment too.