When I was in Grade 9 they showed us a film of a woman giving birth. I got a tubal ligation as soon as my doctor would allow it.

Today I emailed my brother to see if he would cough up the name that he and his partner are going to give their son (my nephew!) this month.  His response was so good I think it should be immortalized:

Andrea is fine. She wants the demon hell spawn out of her, but no complications. I am excited, but kind of nervous. All you can do is hope that it all goes well and the kid is healthy and normal. Not that I'd love a defective kid any less, but it would be a huge finical burden to have a special needs kid. Andrea could never go back to work, and special treatments etc could be costly.

It's going to be a new experience for sure. I've been trying to think of how it compares to other things, and it doesn't. There is nothing in life as permanent. There's no taking a day off, or putting it on hold, or quitting. 

And you don't really know the right things to do, you just hope you are doing it right. You'll never know what thing you did to make him become a homicidal manic, or a rocket scientist. You'll never effect anyones life so much. You'd think with that kind of commitment and pressure, you'd need some training, and yet it's a wing it kind of thing. I think to see a child grow and succeed at life, and enjoy life will be the most rewarding experience you could ever have, knowing that it was all completely dependant on your doing.

As for a name, Demon Hell Spawn has a good ring to it. Step one: name child, result, fail.