Having Children

I'm on a flight with quiet, obedient in the very last row of the phone, while there is a crying and screaming child closer to the front. And I have decided that I won't fly with children unless it's absolutely necessary (hopefully cars will drive themselves soon). I have also said the same thing about eating out at restaurants with children.

Then I realized that children can't be planned for. Well, you can decide to try to have a child, but even then, some go unplanned (I know this first hand). But after deciding on having children, you leave everything up to chance. I guess if you decide on a unisex name (e.g Jamie), you avoid some uncertainty.

You can hope for a baby that doesn't cry, teenagers that aren't too dramatic, a kid that evolves into a world class tennis player, but you can't plan for any of that. Maybe that is why we keep on having children, the intrigue of the unknown and unexpected or the fact that we can give someone a better life filled with more opportunity than we had (dare I say, a chance to fulfill our own dreams). Or just maybe, we can't get enough of the cuteness of babies (or just a baby to snuggle with like the woman and baby boy next to me). I could just go with the easy explanation by saying it's an evolutionary desire that has been formed through thousands of years.

Keep in mind, I'm not even confident I can hold a baby with supporting its head.