September 12, 2001 - Wednesday
Harry's grandmother, my mother, called this morning to talk about the terrorist attacks yesterday. She and Harry's grandpa have been up at the cabin for the last couple of days where there is no television. They have a small transistor radio that has provided them with news coverage. During the conversation, my mother asked whether Harry's mother and I had any reservations about bringing a child into such a mixed up world.

I can't say that the question has really ever occurred to me. I've certainly heard it before in my life. I remember an episode of "All in the Family" when Mike and Gloria are debating having a child, though I think the episode ultimately dealt with birth control and other issues. Maybe it's selfish, but I think our decision to have children didn't have all that much to do with the world as a whole or how we fit into it. It had more to do with our family and our own little place on the earth. It had to do with enjoying and broadening our own lives as we watched our children learn and grow. It's not that we're unaware of world events, crises, hazards, and concerns, just that world is moving with or without us and we can only control so much of it.For now, Harry's world doesn't extend too far past the limits of our home town. That will change as the years move on and it will become harder to ignore many world hazards as Harry and Jeremy get older and move into the world themselves. We'll have issues to deal with like any parent, I'm sure, and we'll do our best. Hopefully, we will have taught them well and they will contribute more to the world than they take away. And, if they do, then they will be the antithesis of the stained minds that make the world a lesser place.


Comments, opinions?