Anyone remember Ron Howard's Parenthood from several years back? It was the story of an extended family of more or less broken people anchored by one solid marriage, represented by Steve Martin & Mary Steenburgen. Martin plays the quintessential good guy, suffering because he's underappreciated and tired of being considered boring. The film culminates in an argument Martin has with his wife when they discover she's expecting another kid he doesn't think they can handle. In the middle of the fight, the dotty grandmother interrupts with an out-of-place reminiscence about her first time on a roller-coaster.
I never knew you could be so frightened and exhilarated, thrilled and anxious all at the same time, she recalls. After that, I could never understand why anyone would go on the merry-go-round. That just goes around.
Amy Welborn has two posts up about what one might call the roller-coaster v. the merry-go-round view of life, both well worth reading in themselves and for the links they contain. For a Slate debate about whether or not to have children, go here. (Hint: the sleepless nights and diapers you so fear do not last very long.) And for a collection of reflections about life not ever turning out the way we expect, go here. Have you followed the case of the mom who strangled her autistic child? News reports have emphasized the difficulties of raising such a child, but scroll down in Amy's post to read what the girl's grandfather (and primary care-giver) says about that.
Subscribe to:
Comment Feed (RSS)
