In my most indulgent dreams, I have a little, healthy baby in my arms. They grip my pinky finger with all their strength as their wide, familiar eyes gaze up at the world and take in every flicker of light and every cycle of shade through the window. They have a favorite color — because they are a completely new person, no one sees colors quite the same way as them. They have a favorite song that creates completely new images in their head, something never imagined before. They are guided by me, and I watch as they discover a new world, completely unique to their mind.

So my answer to the invasive question of “Do you want kids?” is “Yes, but … , ” because that choice is not completely up to me, nor truly within my control.

Every woman seems to have a prophecy in her life, a “to-be-or-n

See Full Page