Run, then visit and run, then drink and run, then drink and go home. New Year's Eve can be a busy time when you're trying to fill it with lots of events.

Part of the evening was spent in the company of the "running" community at the annual Resolution Run. I noticed many of the runners knew each other and obviously spent lots of time getting to know each other.

One woman in particular caught my attention and made me ponder. She was a woman in her late forties, with expensive running gear on, a very hip and modern hairstyle and funky glasses - the signs of someone who had both the time and money to take good care of herself. It occurred to me (and was confirmed by Jenn later) that most of these people were childless. Thinking of how my life was filled with kid-related duties, I wondered what their daily routines must be like. As Banana was with us (her first 8 km run, I'll proudly have you know) I was feeling very fatherish at the time. I found myself wondering what my life would have been like if I had not ventured into fatherdom.

More and more in our society, I feel like a minority by being a father. The pros of having children (unconditional love, personal vanity in wanting proteges, societal pressure) are evenly matched against the cons (lack of time, expenses, pressure to succeed in life). It seems that we are biologically set up to find a mate and have offspring. I'm curious why couples choose NOT to have children.

They may be curious to know why I had them.