Unexpected Realities
This past weekend my niece gave birth. She produced a tiny creature of six pounds nine ounces that gurgled and scowled like all babies do when they greet the cold reality of the world. When I looked at the wrinkled face I couldn't help but remember my theory that we go out of life the same way we come in. Her face looked like the wrinkled scowling face of an old person. She wore diapers and a nurse had to wash her. She won't eat solid foods. Someone will carry her around and pay for her needs. Why is the expected for an infant yet indignity for the old? Welcome to the world of parenthood I thought as I stood on one side of the hospital room looking at my niece laying in her bed. Around her sat friends and relatives excited about the new arrival. One girl her age held the baby for a few moments before squirming away confused on what to do. As joyous as it all seemed there is a dark side to this story. You see, my niece is sixteen years old. With a person so young n