Kids Change Everything

I surf around pretty broadly on a daily basis. I read the major papers. I call Steve to find out what he's read. I check out my RSS feeds, which contain everything from wonky policy stuff to academic nonsense to mom stuff to gossip. I like to get the wide spectrum of what everyone is talking about. Sometimes everybody is on the same page. Sometimes you get weird clashes.

The weird clash of the afternoon started with Stephanie Coontz op-ed piece on how kids ruin your marriage. I'm not sure where she was going with this piece. Maybe her point was don't have them. She seems to have a grudge against committed, hetero relationships and their spawn.

From there, I flipped to Dooce's monthly newsletter to her daughter. Dooce talks about how her daughter changed her life for the better.

You have changed so much since that first morning you spent with us, a morning that altered my life so drastically that sometimes it still feels like I'm catching my breath. I imagine that I won't ever stop feeling this way, won't ever stop having a portion of my brain dedicated to the thought of where you are and what you're doing, won't ever be able to escape the constant, nagging hope that you are happy and fulfilled. My pulse is forever closer to the surface of my neck because of you, because of my responsibility toward you, and I can't thank you enough for the dimension that this has added to what it means to be alive.

Wouldn't it be great to get those two in a room together and have them fight it out?