Me and Mo at the Kemper

I guess checking out the Nerman Museum at JCCC put me in mind of how long it had been since I visited the Kemper.

So I drafted Mo and we went. Both my daughters used to jump at the chance to go to a museum with me, but now that they're in high school, uh... Yeah.

Though Mo will say no to the offer of a museum, she's not such a pill that she'll actually not enjoy that museum a little bit when she's thrust into it. She'd rather be home watching YouTube, and she makes no secret of that, but she's not too cool to appreciate a little art.

I guess if I'm all that nostalgic for the old days, when I could basically say, "We're going to a museum" and my kids would just get in the car and happily go to that museum, well, I could start over at square one. Have a baby. Get up at one o'clock in the morning for the day. First steps, first words, first time eating green beans or cereal, piano lessons, school plays... See also diaper changes, ear infections, seizures, autism diagnosis, failing grades.

Honestly, I love my kids and I wouldn't take any of those moments back, really. But the idea of basically getting off that roller coaster and getting right back in line makes me tired. I'm 44 years old, so by the time any future kiddos I produced got to where my kids are now, I'd be in my sixties. Call me crazy, but maybe, just maybe, there is a thing or two I can occupy myself with other than spreading my singular DNA further in the world. I'm not a big believer in overpopulation theory, but I'm pretty sure I've contributed at least my share of next generation humanity.

Plus, I have a nephew these days, and he's just starting to do museums.