Because it just seemed like “a good idea” or because one day, having run out of conversation, one of us said, “It’s time.” Sometimes it’s because the moon was bright, and the lights were low, and the cable went out for the night. Perhaps there was an earthquake, or a blackout, or you both polished off a nice bottle of Chateau Margaux ’79, and here you are, nine months later, with slightly astonished looks on your faces. The point is, people have been bearing and raising live young since the beginning of time, which is why we are all here, after all. Yes, each tiny baby is a miracle, and yes, they are in fact wee and precious, but so were you at that age, and now look at yourself.

Certainly being a parent is a responsibility not to be taken lightly, but honestly, when all is said and done, children are nice to have around for the cuddling, and so that one can experience the joy of reading Goodnight Moon hundreds and hundreds of times, and because we can get them to do extra chores once in a while. We should attempt to share whatever wisdom we might have accidentally accumulated, and we should help them become nice people, because very quickly they will be big, and then they’ll be gone. We should not waste those scant eighteen or so years worrying about things over which we have little or no control.