Babies. Tiny and adorable. Helplessly trusting you to feed, diaper and love them. They tend to bring out the best in us adults. Ladies find themselves wanting to hold an infant, just to feel its solid weight in their arms and touch the incredible softness of the tender skin. A baby’s smallest whimper makes most females immediately began searching for answers to the problem.

Men find babies equally attention-getting. But in different ways, many times. A certain male sense of protectiveness surfaces when they are around a little baby. Most men will go to extreme lengths to provide shelter, safety and food when it comes to little ones in their care.

But time marches on. And that sweet face with its pink rosebud mouth will most definitely morph into a teenager’s less-than-sweet-little-face. (Not to mention the mouth.)

Those innocent little lips will have learned to spew out hurt and anger, because unfortunately, that is just part of the process of becoming an independent adult. Hormone swings, with mountaintop-to-crater proportions, attack the average teen leaving them reeling with euphoria one minute and blue, anxious thoughts the next.

And speaking of mouths. The male teen mouth is the opening to a large cavern called the stomach. A place that has no bottom. Huge amounts of food are consumed in one sitting and thirty minutes later, that teen will have his head inside the refrigerator, yelling “Mom, I’m gonna eat that other pan of lasagna, okay? I’m starving!”

And baby girls? They become long-legged, shinyhaired, bathroom-time consuming, extremely weight-conscious teen females. Usually, avid aficionados of any and every kind of makeup known to be invented by mankind.

So, you need to be absolutely certain you want kids, before you say “Why, yes, of course I do!” Realize and accept the inevitable. They are not going to transform from being tiny fluffs of wonderfulness straight into being kind, strong, considerate and emotionally well-balanced young adults who love you and may even want to please you with their life.

Babies have to go thru stages of growth before adulthood happens. A seemingly interminable time that involves growing out of their clothes every five minutes, eating whatever stands still, and being incredibly self-centered as they are trying to become ‘me.’ Finally, to emerge hopefully unscathed into young adulthood. Ready to love you, join the working world, marry, and begin that scary journey of being a parent themselves one day.

I repeat, be absolutely certain you are ready for this, before you let Mr. Sperm meet Ms. Egg. It’s not for the faint-hearted or the self-centered. A parent must be braced for various seasons of doubting themself as a parent. Of doubting they are a thinking human being.

And remember, once the process has begun, there is no turning back, no changing your mind.

Sweet lovable babies will grow quickly into messy toddlers, who will become energetic kids, then mouthy teens, and finally independent young adults. But it does take time and patience.

Lots of patience. — Podcasts are available at Coffeetimecolumn.com. Send any responses to andybowman839@gmail.com.