Vacation calculus and parenthood

Scott Adams says "...most vacations are about memory upgrades. You become a different person after each trip, literally, as your brain takes on new shapes and chemistry from each experience. I think the selective memory phenomenon is what makes three bad days of planning and travel a worthy trade for two good days of actual vacation."

I've long held to a similar theory about parenthood. One might dislike everything associated with being a parent... might even dislike children... yet the second their child is born, they change.

"I can't explain it. You'd have to be a parent to understand this feeling!"

The common explanation is that the blessed event transforms you and erases any previously held notions you had about children and parenthood. I believe it has more to do with the species protecting itself. If the new parent did not change... well, you can finish the thought.

And even then, I wonder how many parents --in some dark corner of their hearts-- occasionally wonder, "If I had it to do over again..."

But there are no do-overs in this game. So I hope every parent gets that molecular make-over that transforms them into loving, caring parents.