“Closer to Fine” got me through law school. I hated law school. I had to refocus and not think of it as a time of my life I was meant to enjoy, but as a means to an end - the meaningless task I had to endure, and plow through, to grasp the brass ring at the end. That song helped me realize that.

The collective mind of all the parents who blog seem to suggest that in parenthood, you will find so much joy, and so much gut wrenching guilt, and not a small degree of sadness, that the idea of a dark point or bright point in your life will recede into the distance. The best time and the worst time happen on the same day, and it changes so fast, your head is spinning!

One day, holding my 4 week old baby in my arms, I was chatting with my plumber, fixing the tub (a friend of my husband, with several kids of his own, all grown). He saw my sleeplessness, and doubt, and how much I was missing being at the office, in regular clothes, talking with other adults. He said: “It just keeps getting better.” From deep within my post partum depression, I held on to that - not seeing it, but wanting to believe it.

He was right! Every little milestone, every smile, every new experience, it gets a little better. I don’t see it as a lull, or a time in my life that there’s no growth. I guess you can let it be, but I doubt you will.

Your jukebox will contain new music, but I think some of us do get to leave the high school prime suffering years behind.

Your post has really made me think alot. I reserve the right to change my mind about this.