Rationale

In a recent conversation with my dad, he said, "You have a rash, you can't sleep...why do women do this?" This being pregnancy, of course. And you know, I don't have an answer to that question. Or the larger one of why does ANYONE do this? This being parenting, of course. What on earth are we getting out of this?

First, there's the pregnancy, with all the nausea, mood swings, losing your center of balance, widening feet, foolish comments from strangers, possible blood pressure issues, possible blood sugar issues, dizziness, possible pre-term labor, worry about the health of your baby, and on and on and ON. And then, there's the labor.

And then, THEN, just when you think you've come out on the other side, there's the WHOLE REST OF YOUR LIFE, when you get to be responsible for someone else, worry about their safety, and generally live in fear that something might happen to this person you decided to bring into the world. There's the study that says that parents are, on the whole, less happy than non-parents. So why? Why would you do this?

The best answer I can come up with is this: it's fun. That's it. There's no deeper, philosophical reason. I'm not doing this for the immortality, for the passing down of my genes, for the deep and abiding sense of fulfillment. I mean, maybe I am, but mainly, I'm doing this because it's just really fun. And funny. And I like it when my kid hugs me, even though it's usually followed by him licking my face. I think it's hilarious to watch him "jump" off the couch, except he's so cautious that it's really more that he steps gingerly off the couch while saying, "Ready? Set? Go!" It warms my heart when he's eating and notices that I'm not and offers to share his crackers with me, even though they're his favorite. And when he wakes up at 3 am and comes to our bed, even though I know he's probably an evil genius who's trying to kill me through sleep deprivation, I also get kind of excited because he's just so soft and warm and cuddly. And somehow, that makes up for the rash and the insomnia and all the rest of the weirdness.