Friends and Relationships

Before I met my husband, I wasn't so sure that I wanted to have kids. Having had chronic hypertension since age 17 and having encountered doctors who warned of the impracticality of pregnancy for me, I questioned whether I really wanted to go through the stress of carrying a babe in a body that was not best designed for it. I pondered the possibilities ... perhaps my future prince charming and I would adopt, maybe we could beg one of our friends to be the bearer or we could spoil our nephews and forever be the cool aunt and uncle. The last postulation seemed most likely because while I loved kids, I was never really good at the little ones. I've always had a quick temper and my sister was the nurturer of fam -- not I. Being the cool aunt seemed like an achievable goal to me.
 
Then I met Adam...

Before I became a mother, I really didn’t know many people in my community except to say ‘hello’ or nod in recognition as I went about my errands. In the suburban communities I’ve lived in since moving out of Manhattan, it’s always seemed to me that you were pretty much invisible if you were childless. My work as a freelance writer whose office is in my home is a pretty solitary business. Most of my good friends and business acquaintances live in New York City, where I do the lion’s share of my socializing when I get the chance to get out and see people...