Jokes

There comes a point in one's life as a parent, I think, where you finally stop having to sell yourself on the activities that you have committed yourself to and actually begin to consider them to be fun. What do I mean?

Well, for one thing, I used to look in the window at Gymboree and see these tired mommies and daddies running after their children on colored mats and climbers and think, "Thank God that's not me" as I made my way to Banana Republic to purchase a dry-clean-only silk shirt or something else that, today, would not be practical.

But I have to wonder if there's some sort of a brainwashing that comes with parenthood. For instance, I remember thinking that labor pains were the worst possible pains that anyone could have had and that, if I were a horse in that much pain, I would have been shot. But I also remember the nurse saying that I'd soon forget about these pains. And, lo and behold, I actually have heard myself say to a soon-to-be Mom, "Oh labor, yeah, it was bad, but not that bad."

But I am beginning to think that the brainwashing goes well beyond just the birthing pain. There's a brainwashing about what used to be considered "fun" and what now has replaced that old "fun."

Previous fun: drinking, late-night movies, gourmet dinners, sleeping in til 10, long phone conversations, a good book, vacations.

New fun: ice cream stores, DVDs of television shows, dinners that Felicity will eat, sleeping in til 7:30, quick calls on the way to the store, a good magazine article, trips to the mall.

Along with this new "fun" is also a new sense of humor that has been informed a ton by what Felicity finds funny. Right now she thinks that changing the words of songs is hil-ar-ious. So, instead of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" we have "Ti-ti had a little lamb." And instead of "Big Red Car" we sing "Big White Car." And she laughs as though it's the funniest thing she ever heard. And we laugh at her laughing. And, for a split second, I actually, honestly, totally and completely think that Ti-ti had a little lamb is right up there with Chris Rock.