Tickets, Money, Passport?

We've just had a colleague in here with her new baby. There followed the usual exchange of dialogue "you look well" "isn't she beautiful" "how is she sleeping" etc etc. I have to admit I tuned out. Babies are all good and well. Though they are obviously the greatest source of interest to their besotted parents they are much less so to me, a very causual work acquaintance. Of course it's different if it's a friend of mine, then I am *almost* as endlessly fascinated. What amused me most, however, was the mother saying 'it's so much hard work, no one ever tells you' and do you know what? They do tell you.

Every single mother who has ever walked back into this office or indeed any office I've worked in has told me. I have watched my sister raise 3 kids, I've helped, I've watched her give birth, I've stayed up half the night with a crying baby, hell I've even worked as a nanny. I know how much work they are - and I don't even have any. I listened and I learned. They are bloody hard work.

I think what happens is you get pregnant, hopefully in a warm and fuzzy relationship type thing, then all you see from that moment onwards is a, hopefully cute, baby and forget all the words of warning so that, well, you end up coming back to work and saying 'No one told me how hard it was'.

Hence the reason if I ever decided to have one I'd a) buy one ready made b) rob a bank to pay for it and c) send it away to Hogwarts for schooling. I'm not too sure if ramming a buggy through the wall onto Platform 9 3/4 would work but there's only one way to find out.