The Hazard Chronicles

In my cubicle that I work in at the dental school, I have a family picture in the corner. It is the same picture that is by the title of this blog. I like having the picture there for a lot of reasons, but one of them is that patients can see it, and anyone who has had kids immediately knows that I can identify with them. I can then talk with them about their kids, and they can talk to me about mine, and we suddenly have a relationship that is far more than just a normal doctor-patient interaction. That, in turn makes it so that when I tell them they need seven fillings and three crowns, they trust that I am acting in their best interest. This is good. But having the picture there has also led to some interesting comments from people.

Take last week for instance. A person who wasn't even a patient of mine saw it and asked me if those were my kids. After considering all of the sarcastic responses I could have given to explain the picture, I decided to just answer the question and say yes. Then they asked if Rachel was my wife. This time it was harder to restrain my sarcasm, but again I simply answered the question. And then this person remarked how surprised I must have been to have three kids, since I was probably never planning on having that many. Here's a quote: "If it weren't for the older one it would be perfect- one boy and one girl. Too bad they didn't come first- then you wouldn't need any more."

Excuse me. Did you really just say that? What kind of social imbecile are you? "Yea- and maybe your parents should have quit before you came along." No, I didn't say that, but I did take joy in explaining to this person that, not only did we love our Evelyn very much, but that we were planning on having even more further on down the road. They were incredulous.

I also get a lot of remarks about how difficult it must be to have a wife and three kids along with all of the responsibilities of dental school. I usually agree with these people that it definitely gets hectic at times, but that there is no better feeling than to come in and have three kids giggling with joy just because you walked in the door. There is no better support than a wife who is willing to listen to all of your conquests or failures. And there is no better way to spend a Saturday than by going on a bike ride and having a picnic lunch with your family.

Honestly, I don't quite understand how people go through life without having a wife and kids. It just seems like it would be really, really boring and sad if your biggest passion in life was for a job. Or a hobby. Or even a good group of friends. There is nothing-not one single thing- that compares to a good family. And I guess that is something that just can't be explained to someone who has never lived it.

Anyway- we went to a Halloween party this week where the kids got to debut their costumes. Here are some cute pictures.

Jackson played his part well as Winnie the Pooh and repeatedly attacked the honey pot (AKA: Addy). He just wanted to take the lid off!