Okay, when you have a kid, you pretty much HAVE to like her. In fact, if you are honest about it you would have to say that it is better for everyone if you like your child, no matter how unlikable s/he may be. This truth is so unavoidable that evolution has built in to parents a sometimes-startling ability to not see the bad in their own children. As a teacher I am reminded of this truth as part of my everyday experience. As a parent I sometimes wonder what there is about my daughter that everyone can else can see needs fixing but my wife and I can’t see at all.
This is all just prelude to a moment I experienced yesterday. It was a moment in which I was reminded of just how much I like my own kid. She is great. When you hear it, you might just shake your head and say, “Yeah, cute.” You might get the exact same feeling you would get when someone shows you fifteen pictures of her cat playing with a wad of wrapping paper.
But it only served to remind me of just how much I like my own child. I am tempted to provide all kinds of context and prefatory explanation, but I won’t. Let me just tell you what happened.
Isabel was walking out to the van so we could drive somewhere. As she stepped into the driveway her foot slipped and she almost fell. When I saw that she was not hurt at all I joked, “First day with the new feet?” She did her best “dumb-guy” laugh and strapped herself in for the ride. About five minutes later she told me a quick story and I didn’t get what she was saying. She had to explain it three times. Once I finally got it, Isabel said without missing a beat, “First day with the new brain?”
Now THAT is funny.
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