Chip Off The Old Block

I.Having kids has given me new appreciation for old poetry. The first time I read Song of Hiawatha, I skimmed over the part in Book 3 where Hiawatha first meets his father Mudjekeewis:Filled with joy was MudjekeewisWhen he looked on Hiawatha,Saw his youth rise up before himIn the face of Hiawatha,Saw the beauty of WenonahFrom the grave rise up before him."Welcome!" said he, "Hiawatha,To the kingdom of the West-Wind!Long have I been waiting for you!Youth is lovely, age is lonely,Youth is fiery, age is frosty;You bring back the days departed,You bring back my youth of passion."But this passage communicates a secret of parenthood, something I’ve never seen discussed anywhere else. By the time you’re a parent, you’re on your way to being old, ugly, tired, and cynical. I certainly was. This felt like a brute fact about the world: we all know time only moves one direction. Then I had kids, and got confronted with people who were basically me, but young and beautiful and happy. That part of…