The Joys of Parenting, and etc.

I have a few friends -- happily married or in a really long-term relationship that might as well be marriage -- who insist they will never have children. I can respect that. I probably even contributed to their resolve by cancelling rides to spend time with my kids and then complaining about it.

But there's something indescribably magical about the special little ways that our littlest ones get a kick out of life.

For instance:

Or this:


And my child-eschewing friends will miss the joy of watching their youngsters take after daddy:


OK, here's today's forwarded-all-over-the-internet joke:

A curious fellow died one day and found himself waiting in the long line of judgment. As he stood there he noticed that some souls were allowed to march right through the pearly gates into Heaven.
Others though, were led over to Satan who threw them into the burning fire. But every so often, instead of hurling a poor soul into the fire, Satan would toss a soul off to one side into a small pile.
After watching Satan do this several times, the fellow's curiosity got the best of him. So he strolled over and asked Satan what he was doing.
"Excuse me, Prince of Darkness," he said. "I'm waiting in line for Judgment, but I couldn't help wondering. Why are you tossing those people aside instead of flinging them into the Fires of Hell with the others?"
"Oh those . . " Satan groaned. "They're all from Ohio. They're still too cold and wet to burn."

I'm sure if you ride, you can especially relate.