Having a child in the 2020s is crazy
Sweet innocent beautiful baby arrives. You didn't know you could love someone this much. Instinct tells you to keep it safe with your entire being. You want to do right by this baby. You can't help but constantly scan their environment for harms. I wanted my babies to have good food and a safe bed and a home free from danger. I tied up the blind strings so the baby couldn't be strangled and cut their food into small pieces so they wouldn't choke. I watched for cars when crossing the road, taught them about road safety and locked the doors at night. But other harms were more insidious. I had heard that bunnykins dishes from my childhood might have lead paint, so I bought a lead paint tester and sure enough, the bowl I'd been feeding my daughter out of for many months had lead paint. I tossed it. Nothing I can do now, the harm is already done. Then she was bit by a tick, a week after we'd checked her for ticks upon leaving the farm. It must ha...

