This is my daughter, “Baby”:
She was born in late 2006, and is our first child. Our experiences with parenting have been very…enlightening.
Parenting is much harder than people give it credit for, but at the same time, it’s really a unique experience, and I don’t think I’d want to go back to my pre-parent life.
It’s just amazing to watch something so small and precious grow up each day, learning little skills here and there, enjoying silly things like key chains or blocks. I remember the first months when she used to lay on cushion on the floor, playing with a little mobile that would spin above her head. She would watch it for a long time, then she learned to reach up and touch the little animals. Then, she learned how to grab the animals (which ruined the motor). We were so proud of her when she figured this out.
Of course parenting includes lots of screaming, crying and diaper changes, and Baby has certainly done her fair share of each, but I wouldn’t take her back for anything in the world.
This blog is dedicated to my beloved daughter. Love you, Baby!
P.S. For the picture above, that is steamed milk she is drinking, not coffee. 
This blog is the reflection of my efforts to explore fatherhood, Buddhism and my love of Japanese culture. Anything useful I can pass along makes the Internet hopefully a better place.
Your baby is adorable—and I really got quite a kick out of hearing how she’d gassho at a mandala on TV.
Thanks Baek! Yeah, I was deeply surprised by it too. I suppose it’s just “monkey see, monkey do” kind of behavior, but it’s so funny how kids can pick up stuff like that.
I could not agree with you more about the joys of parenting. My husband and I have two sons and not a day goes by where we don’t think to ourselves “what the heck was life about before this…it’s amazing!” Your blog is great…keep up the good work
Namaste-Megan
The prospect of having children really scares me. I feel like my wife and I have a hard enough time handling my own life, let alone the life of a developing human being. Your words above help, but what advice would you give someone like me–someone who wants children but is afraid to have them?
Thanks.
Hi Erec, and welcome to the JLR. I’ll be honest, there’s no easy way to prepare for it. It’s quite scary leading up to it, and you either have to take the plunge or spend your time wondering what life would have been like if you did have kids. Also, it’s almost inevitable you’ll fight with your spouse, but it’s important to keep things in perspective and not let it get to you. Fatigue and hormones will just do that to people.
With that said, if you *do* have kids, the best thing you can do is take parenting classes at your local hospital or college, before the baby is born. It helped me get over the fear of the unknown and made the first few months of parenting a lot easier. Also, it’s good to see parenting as a kind of investment, where if you devote time and energy to it, even while giving up old hobbies for a long while, you’ll really see your kids grow up beautiful, intelligent and wonderful human beings.
I don’t think everyone should be a parent, but if you’re willing to take the plunge, go all the way. It won’t kill you, that’s for sure.
Best of luck,
Doug