I have never wanted children. Yes, I had baby dolls, including my beloved Pebbles who stuck with me through a terrible haircut, having her arm ripped off by my brothers, losing her clothes, and eventually being rehabilitated at the Doll Hospital in Bell Buckle at the insistence of my grandmother. But Pebbles was a doll, not a living child.

One thing my father and I both learned the hard way was to never ask my grandmother for something we didn’t really want.

I am not a fan of the word “adulting” for several reasons. First, “adult” is a noun and to add -ing to it to make a present participle is annoying. Second, it is a whiny present participle.