My Grandson

OK, I guess it's not my actual grandson, but it may be as close as I come. My son assures me that he took an oath when he was fourteen that he would neither get married nor have children. I actually sort of remember this oath, although my son and I differ in the details. Mainly we disagree on the inspiration for the oath. He tells me that I made him promise to never get married nor have kids, whereas I, sort of, remember him volunteering this decision. So far he's kept to his word, although he'll only be thirty-two this March so he has lots of time to change his mind and break this unbreakable oath. Certainly I never had any plans to have kids, which is strange since my son is the best thing that ever happened to me by far. I think he would be a great Dad although I hope that if he ever has kids it is because he truly wants them. Sometimes we get wrangled into things against our will; and this may just be the influence of reading "The Untold Lie" from Winesburg, Ohio with my first year students today.

So this is my grandson Odin. He certainly is a much more peaceful and compliant sleeper than his father ever was.