Sunday Morning

Posted on by Live & Learn

baby-father

He said that after the third child, he told his wife, Enough! He felt too old to have any more, so he got a vasectomy. But in the years since, he’s had many moments of regret, because once the boys got a little older, he said he wanted it again—the experience of cradling an infant in his arms.

~ Sheila Heti, Motherhood: A Novel (Henry Holt and Co., May 1, 2018)

Photo: caz gordon with Father & 2 day old Son

32 thoughts on “Sunday Morning”

  4. She’s 14, but I’m going to her room now to cradle her. She’s still my baby. The funny thing is that she’s still ok with it.

      1. I am lucky! All 4 are so affectionate. But one of my sons is only ok showing it when it’s just me and him.

        1. Very. My youngest will occasionally surprise me with a hug but my oldest? Oy. He’s in a very much “don’t touch me” phase. Wasn’t always so…

          1. It’s all them. They came into my life, only through me, and brought all the love and light. So tell me, what do you think is the opposite of fatherhood or motherhood?
            Is it daughterhood and sonhood?

    3. …funny that girls are like that (my daughter would probably still allow even tho she’s 5’10”) but the boys…don’t think so…and maybe that’s appropriate!

      1. Things are different with girls, that’s for sure. But some how even the boys are affectionate. My older son is 6’5″, almost 300 pounds. 23 years old, and has to be careful not to crush my bones with his hugs. He likes to be spooned in bed. And I love it. But I know why my sons are this way. My sons and I were separated for almost 10 years. I didn’t know where they were. And they didn’t know where I was. That ended in 2012. One of the outcomes of all of this is a very unconventional bond between me and them now, with my step-daughter as well. And my bond with Layla, my youngest.

  5. The most incredible feeling in this world – and I’m NOT going to mention that, failing the possibility of feeling the happiness and joy of cradling a baby close to one’s heart, would be holding a puppy in one’s arms…. 🙂
    Beautiful, heartwarming Sunday post – Merci David

  6. Well, there is that stretch of time between being a young parent and being a new grandparent. I’m looking forward to holding our first grandchild next Spring.

      1. And the best news is that it’s the married daughter that’s pregnant, not the single ones. Call me old fashion, but that’s a plus 👍

  9. Yeah. No. Trouble with those adorable babies is, is they grow up.
    Flip side is, we just might have that cuddling joy with future grandchildren – who visit, then go home with their parents – whom we do love and adore…
    My father couldn’t wait for us to arrive with our kids. Got all the cuddling and kissing in, then could not hide his joy at seeing us pack up to leave!

  10. Beautiful and poignant…there was a first time when we were able to hold here…though we weren’t the first to have that privilege, for “Her” the first time of being cradled was by a volunteer cuddle’r’ in neonate intensive care unit…a nice older lady who just happened to work with my husband and she was one of the few lucky people who were the hospital volunteer baby cuddle’lers..of course the nurses in the unit I assumed picked her up from the radiant warmer and later the incubator… then that day came when I was able to go see her though I wasn’t able to hold her, just marvel at the tiny precious one…”Her” dad had seen her several times (he brought me photos of her)…at some point later (not that day) they let “Her” dad hold her…then came the Day when I was strong enough and she was stable enough that I awash with Love cradled such a precious gift…

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