Did you say plan?

In the late sixties, many couples planned a perfect two child family. We didn’t. We thought what if we plan wrong? After the first two births Mother shared a German proverb, “When God sends the rabbits, he sends the grass.” Our Irish pastor adds, “Every baby’s born with a loaf of bread under its arm.”

Assuming that procreation is an XYG affair; namely, X (female), Y (Male), and G (God), we decided to give G his say.

Here are some no regrets memories in one through nine order of children:

1.     Our eight year old stands looking up at his Dad who’s struggling to install a light fixture. “You’re doing it all wrong, Dad,” he opines.

His father throws down the tools and stomps off. Five minutes later, the fixture is up. Thirty years later, the boy builds computer programs, amazing his dad.

2.     “Mommy, Mommy, look, a flying butter!” our 2 year old girl bubbles, making us laugh. The accomplished woman, adventurous as her maternal grandmother, still bubbles, “Mom, Dad, I got family tickets to a David Garret concert; front row seats!”http://www.david-garrett-fans.com/english/gallery_3.html

3.     “I’ll quit school and work,” says our then 20 year old, hoping to save his unemployed Dad. He does, along with his siblings. Today the tall blonde Chinese speaking businessman puts his younger brother through college.

4.     “Momma, I dropped her on her head,” a terrified sister cries. “She slid out of her infant seat.” Owing her little sister forever, big sister, the nurse, helps the baby of the family in her ongoing UCLA studies.

5.     Do middle children fight with or for their siblings? “No. 5 is Alive” who used to haunt the streets at night and sleep on grandma’s grave grumbles, “They cheated you! It was supposed to be front row seats, and they split us up and put us on the sides. I’m filing a complaint!”

6.     “Mom, who did the wood flooring in the little house; it’s so professional?”

“Your handy surfer dude brother, of course.”

“Where does he get the time? He’s finishing college.”

7.     “Where do you find time to run a day care business, study late into the night, and raise your own family, Girl?” http://teenytotschildcare.com/

8.     “What’s an actuary?” asks our youngest son of his counselor.

“Check with our Actuarial Club,” respond the UCLA mentor.

The boy who once looked over our shoulders during tax season and choked out, “How do you feed all of us on that?” builds his future and ours with our newest grandson. www.beanactuary.org/

9.     “Made my decision, Dad,” says the baby of the family. “I’m going to law school.”