Estimated reading time: 3 minute(s)

My son Alex is a blast. He is the middle child (currently?) and so as all middle children will probably attest, he is often overlooked in some ways. We have album upon album of photos of Ian (our first) and have been taking lots of our little girl, because, well… she’s a girl! She’s cute! 🙂 Ian is incredibly intelligent, and as the firstborn, is always reaching new milestones first. So we often shower him with accolades. Kirsten is the baby right now, and again… a girl… so… she gets her share of attention.

But despite these apparent set-backs, Alex does not get lost in the cracks very easily! He’s a RIOT! He says and does the funniest things. I am cracking up as I type this! He’s SO fun and crazy and loud and silly and great in every way!

Today, I was watching a movie with the boys in our little cubby in the attic (my office)… it was quite a unique set up! And as we were Alex was climbing on me, and then he wanted to just stroke my hair. As he was doing it, he said, “You like that, Dad?” with very sweet, innocent, loving look on his face. Now, I actually didn’t really like what he was DOING, but I loved why he was doing it, and I love him… and it was a cool moment.

This is the same boy that I had to yell at at 4:50am this morning for repeatedly waking up (and whining!) for no apparent reason all night. The same boy upon whose rear end I dole out physical consequences for his repeatedly foolish actions. The same boy who has seen the full wrath of his much larger father…

And he still loves me. A lot.

I have a friend who thinks that it is a selfish act to procreate. (Not the act… the end… 🙂 I understand logically his thinking. He says there are too many people on the planet now, and lots without a home, a family… if you NEED to have kids, you should adopt. And, I agree with him that adoption is one of the most amazingly selfLESS acts one can carry out, but it is preposterous to say that deciding to be a parent (whatever role we actually have in that decision) is a selfISH act.

Jen is tired. She is a Mom of THREE young kids. I am tired. I am the Dad. 🙂 There are lots of things we have given up for our kids… things we would do or have. And did you know… they cost a LOT!!! 🙂

But all of that is so worth it for the moments like the attic. Or hearing Ian say, “It’s OK, Dad” after reading my St. Patty’s Day blog. And then with genuineness he said, “I love you, Dad!”

It’s so worth it.

I suppose if that is the only reason I wanted kids, was expecting moments like those, I suppose that could be selfish. But let me tell you… they are NOT expected! After all of the work that goes into shaping these little people… you wouldn’t think they’d like me at all! 🙂

But they do. And I love them so much.

You can’t know until you’ve tried. Kids will change your whole view of life. It is incredible the love I have for them. And even moreso the love they have in return. Unmerited, but unwavering.

So go ahead and procreate! You don’t know how great it is till you’ve tried!

(that was a funny sentence…) 🙂