I was sitting at the bar of a restaurant this weekend, having a pint and a pizza with my boyfriend amongst the friendly faces of a neighborhood joint. A family of four walked in and the young son, probably age 5 or 6, joyfully greeted one of our friends at the bar. He was a cool kid, not shy, and clearly comfortable with our mutual friend, a guy of about 50. The kid told our friend that he'd been at the pool and now they were going to eat. His little sister looked about 2 and joined their parents at the table while the little boy chatted. Cute kid and cute scene.
The little boy wrapped up his conversation and joined his family at the table. I enjoyed occasionally hearing their chatter while they ate pizza. They seemed like a nice family. When they finished and paid their bill, the little boy shouted goodbye as they left the restaurant. The four of them walked out the door, one parent each holding a child's hand. I was wistfully thinking how sweet the scene was when our friend, the 50 year old, spoke out loud to no one in particular.
"Yeah, I've done a lot of things in my life... A lot. The Navy, the police force... I've done a lot and I've seen a lot... [somewhat of a long pause] But I never had kids. I always like seeing that, watching families together. Because... Yeah... I never had that."
It was bittersweet. I could relate to him and was reminded how childless men are affected too.
