Well the child has called ( I am at work) so at least I know he did not do himself harm last night. I honestly could not bring myself to open his door this morning. Didn't want to wake him if he was asleep, didn't want to see if my nightmares come true. My life is good times.

Excellent Archer costumes! Tim looks fantastic.

For I know I do NOT have the patience or self-discipline or unselfishness to be a parent.

I assure you that nobody is born with that kind of patience or self-discipline or unselfishness. Parenthood forces you to become more patient, more disciplined and unselfish.

Parenthood forces you to become more patient, more disciplined and unselfish.

Except in those situations where it doesn't happen, and you've got a helpless human being in the crosshairs. Fortunately, one doesn't have to be forced into parenthood in situations when a person doesn't like the odds. It's not like babies come with a return policy.

Steph, love both your costumes!

You should tweet that to aisha

Aisha would LOVE IT.

Aha! The Doubletree ad is saying "first, the cookie at check-in", not "first we'll cook you a chicken".

A chicken at check-in would be quite the gimmick.

This is the child that assures me that all he needs is to work 20 hours a week at McDonald's and he can pay rent and bills, and save for a car.

I remember Theo Huxtable being schooled on that topic.

I've spent my morning reading Ada Grey theatre reviews. I regret nothing.

This is the child that assures me that all he needs is to work 20 hours a week at McDonald's and he can pay rent and bills, and save for a car.

Even if that were true, by the time he's gotten a bit older, that'll be slightly less satisfying. But if all you've got on your resume is a part time job at McD's, it'll be hard to switch to something better paying, I'd think....

Parenthood forces you to become more patient, more disciplined and unselfish.

Well, it can, but as Connie noted above, it doesn't always, and then it's often a tragedy for both child and parent. I should hate to have been the one to disprove you.

As it is, I get to have my cake and eat it too, with my nieces nearby. I have no complaints.

Parenthood forces you to become more patient, more disciplined and unselfish.

Let me be the next person to say that's not always true, and it's the child who pays the price when the parent can't ascend to that higher plane. I hear a lot of parents saying, "oh, I'm not strong, I'm not patient, I'm just doing what I have to do, what any parent would do," and no. No, a lot of parents would just leave, or become abusive, or hand the kids over to someone else. My aunt left her husband and two kids one day and disappeared for a year; when she surfaced, she brought divorce papers and was engaged to another man - with whom she never had children. She never admitted she'd done anything wrong. She just couldn't handle being a parent. Having a kid makes you a parent, but it certainly doesn't FORCE you to be a good one. Not even if you love them.

I've never really felt any desire to have children. I occasionally enjoy other people's children, but small doses of exposure are more than enough for me.

What really bugs me is that it seems like a lot of people end up having children not because they want them, but because they feel like it's something they should do to get their Adult Card.

In other news, I have mice in my basement. EWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

(no need to say it twice, even though the mouse thing is REALLY gross).