From the moment a child is born, you are the only one responsible for them. Every day. Every hour.

There is no hour where you get to say "I don't want to deal with this." What you want to do can always get trumped by what they need you to do.

As they get older, it's like you have an exposed nerve walking around in the world, out of your control, but still connected to your being.

Who they become is largely dependent on how you behave. But ultimately, you have to give up, and just accept who they become -- even if it's someone you don't like that much, even if it's your fault.

Having a child is like cosigning a debt with a stranger you have never met, for an amount you don't know, and yet it's not foolish...sometimes it even pays off.

Your responsibility to your children is unique among relationships because it alone cannot be undone. This is a kind of encounter with reality that is far more valuable than any that can be revoked or stepped away from.