Even Cockroaches Love Their Babies

No, this post isn't about more creepy-crawlies.

The title of this post is what a friend told me, years ago. At the time, I had a beautiful newborn, and my friend probably said this to me in response to my totally-typical-of-new-parents comments about how beautiful my baby was.

And she was beautiful, awe-inspiringly so. Complete strangers stopped us in the street to tell us. That this happened while we lived in Germany where you do not talk to strangers and children are (or ought to be) invisible proves the point all the more.

Looking back on it, I don't know how my friend managed to deliver that line about cockroaches without getting a knuckle sandwich in return. He said it with such detachment, so completely lacking in malice or dismissive intent. He said it like the truism that it is. Still, that was probably my one chance to punch him in the gut and get away with it. I regret that I didn't do it.

Of course, parents see beauty in their children and if they don't they'd better not let on. For me it goes one step further. I'm totally in love with the pictures my children draw.

These are some of Star's drawings. That one in the top right is a family picture, one of dozens she has made that capture us better than a photo ever could. I have always loved how much expressive detail she manages to pack into even the simplest figures.

I'll post some of Dandelion's work soon.