I have no kids, and at my age am unlikely to ever have any (though it's possible, I suppose, if I ever meet the perfect woman, e.g., one who will go out with me more than once), but I have two nieces and a nephew I love more than anything.

James Lileks, on parenthood:

When first you hold [your child's] hand it’s a tight small walnut balled in protest against the cold and the light. Then it’s the small collection of wiggly digits you’re washing forty times a day. Then it’s big enough so its fingers fit into yours. You’re no longer holding the hand at the wrist; now you weave your fingers together instinctively. I don’t think it’s possible to do this, ever, without some voice in the back of your head steeling you for the day when she pulls away, and pulls away for good. Or at least for a few years. Four, ten, twenty – what counts is that you’ll hold hands again at the end.

Posted by Russ at 12:43 PM, February 11, 2004 in Quotes