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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Mid Afternoon Moment of Zen

Mid Afternoon Moment of Zen

by John Cole|  May 23, 20123:21 pm| 46 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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The godson, sporting his spiderman outfit:

Ryan and Sarah, the parents, are posting pictures almost every day on that facebook thingee, and I swear I have never seen one picture in which the kid was not smiling from ear to ear. I’ve never paid much attention to babies before, but young Cole strikes me as one of the happiest babies I’ve ever seen.

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46Comments

  1. 1.

    flukebucket

    May 23, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    Just wait until you have god-grandchildren. They make life worth living for sure.

  2. 2.

    Corner Stone

    May 23, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    schrodinger’s cat

    Ask and you shall receive. Cole was recently posting about his cramps, now his babies.

  3. 3.

    Stuck in the Funhouse

    May 23, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    Looks like he already knows how to make a million dollars.

  4. 4.

    trollhattan

    May 23, 2012 at 3:30 pm

    That’s one happy li’l nipper, for sure. Cutest BJ boychick since Samkitten.

    I’m informed Michelle Rhee would like him to attend a for-profit charter school. Yay.

    http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/05/michelle-rhees-students-first-moves-2-million-into-pac.html

  5. 5.

    slag

    May 23, 2012 at 3:32 pm

    Happy, carefree, totally oblivious the inequities and casual cruelties all around him. Imagines himself to be some kind of superhero. Young Cole reminds me of a young David Broder.

  6. 6.

    cmorenc

    May 23, 2012 at 3:33 pm

    Your small kids are all your cute little buttons to raise as you see fit…UNTIL the key threshold event happens when they start school and they begin spending a substantial part of most days being heavily influenced by the behavioral quirks, pathologies, and habits of numerous other people’s urchin spawn. They start bringing home behaviors and demeanors which are clearly “other” than those recognizably the product of your intentional designs for upbringing your own young’uns. Yes, you still retain a great deal of control and influence over how your own kids are raised, their attitudes, etc. Nevertheless, THAT’S the day looking back that’s the starting point from which your control and influence over how your kids turn out clearly began to slowly, inexorably slip away from you, progressively continuing over the next dozen years, culminating with high school graduation and going away to college or whatever.

    THAT is the biggest reason why some parents send their kids to “Christian Academies” instead of public schools; to safely contain their kids’ ideal upbringing from contamination from too much exposure to undesirable “others”.

  7. 7.

    Villago Delenda Est

    May 23, 2012 at 3:36 pm

    The kid is going to be a game show host.

    Count on it.

  8. 8.

    Dave

    May 23, 2012 at 3:37 pm

    So how long before you start teaching him to be a curmudgeonly old bastard? In my opinion, you can never start too soon.

  9. 9.

    eemom

    May 23, 2012 at 3:37 pm

    I’ve never paid much attention to babies before

    Well it’s time you did, Cole. Find a nice girl, settle down, make a few cole-lets.

    I mean, it’s not like posting about shaving soap in the middle of the night evidences an entirely meaningless existence, but still. Room for improvement ‘n all that.

  10. 10.

    Ash Can

    May 23, 2012 at 3:37 pm

    And to think that little smiley-puss has such a grouch for a godfather.

  11. 11.

    Linda Featheringill

    May 23, 2012 at 3:38 pm

    You know you don’t “have” your kids. You have only borrowed them. And they will probably wind up somewhere you had not intended.

  12. 12.

    Epicurus

    May 23, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    Reminds me of my youngest nephew; born with a smile, and will go out the same way. It brightens even the crusted cockles of my heart. Congratulations, Mr. Cole, you’re going to be one heckuva uncle.

  13. 13.

    Stuck in the Funhouse

    May 23, 2012 at 3:45 pm

    I’ve never paid much attention to babies before, but young Cole strikes me as one of the happiest babies I’ve ever seen.

    If you were still a wingnut, your first thought might be how much free stuff this kid was getting. Karma works in strange ways, and now you can write the word “zen” in mixed company and not have to look over your shoulder.

  14. 14.

    JCJ

    May 23, 2012 at 3:45 pm

    @Dave:

    Couldn’t agree more. The sooner they become cynical the better!

  15. 15.

    Svensker

    May 23, 2012 at 3:50 pm

    The cockles, they is not only warmed, but melting.

  16. 16.

    Yutsano

    May 23, 2012 at 3:51 pm

    Nam myoho renge kyo…

    Okay that brightened things up a bit. My sushi lunch coming up will do so as well.

  17. 17.

    slag

    May 23, 2012 at 3:51 pm

    Well it’s time you did, Cole. Find a nice girl, settle down, make a few cole-lets.
    I mean, it’s not like posting about shaving soap in the middle of the night evidences an entirely meaningless existence, but still. Room for improvement ‘n all that.

    Ack! What is this? A Cathy cartoon?

    Don’t listen to it, Cole. Spawning children to imbue your life with meaning is a ticket to a lifetime of therapy for them and an endless exercise in frustration for you.

    This has been a public service announcement for all would-be parents who think that, “What the heck? I’ve got nothing better going on,” is a good reason to have kids.

  18. 18.

    mai naem

    May 23, 2012 at 3:53 pm

    What a cuuute kid. He sure looks like he’s well loved and cared for(okay, I didn’t mean to sound like he was a pet.)

  19. 19.

    Citizen_X

    May 23, 2012 at 3:54 pm

    @slag:

    Young Cole reminds me of a young David Broder.

    Bite your tongue! I’m sure if Dougj ever trolled him, gushing ” You’re like the diaper David Broder!” happy young Cole would suddenly turn all flavors of nasty.

  20. 20.

    yopd1

    May 23, 2012 at 3:59 pm

    Marvel Comics rocks!

  21. 21.

    Amir Khalid

    May 23, 2012 at 4:01 pm

    Maybe we could have a Balloon-Juice photo feature of all the frontpagers’ and commenters’ young’uns who’ve been highlighted over the years. I’m sure it would be to squee…

    @Yutsano:
    I hope you mean that a meal of sushi is imminent, rather than that it’s coming back up. I would be somewhat disturbed if you were looking forward to regurgitating your lunch.

  22. 22.

    Arclite

    May 23, 2012 at 4:04 pm

    but young Cole strikes me as one of the happiest babies I’ve ever seen.

    Yeah, what’s up with that? With a name like Cole you’d expect him to be snarky, grumpy, and irascible, and would only be happy if he had a Lily to cuddle with.

  23. 23.

    Yutsano

    May 23, 2012 at 4:05 pm

    @Amir Khalid: The sushi lunch is in the very near future. Fortunately except for a couple of spells in the hospital I haven’t had any nausea at all.

  24. 24.

    geg6

    May 23, 2012 at 4:05 pm

    @eemom:

    I know you don’t care, but those of us who have no desire to have children find it incredibly insulting when people say shit like this. I don’t know if Cole wants kids or not (I’m thinking, at his age, probably not), but it’s entirely possible he likes being single and not having an anchor around his neck for the next 21 years.

  25. 25.

    geg6

    May 23, 2012 at 4:06 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    Maybe we could have a Balloon-Juice photo feature of all the frontpagers’ and commenters’ young’uns who’ve been highlighted over the years. I’m sure it would be to squee…

    I much prefer the pets, thanks.

    And to Cole, yes, the god child is cute. Just like my nieces were/are cute, too. And I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to wallow in the cute for an hour or two and then hand them back to the suckers that birthed them.

  26. 26.

    Villago Delenda Est

    May 23, 2012 at 4:13 pm

    @geg6:

    And I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to wallow in the cute for an hour or two and then hand them back to the suckers that birthed them.

    This is what’s known as “grandparents’ revenge”.

  27. 27.

    geg6

    May 23, 2012 at 4:18 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    In my world, it’s known as “the triumph of the single and childless.”

  28. 28.

    The Other Bob

    May 23, 2012 at 4:27 pm

    What a wonderful, carefree young lad, so naive at that age…or maybe he is Canadian and naturally happy.

  29. 29.

    TaMara (BHF)

    May 23, 2012 at 4:27 pm

    I needed that. Squee.

  30. 30.

    TaMara (BHF)

    May 23, 2012 at 4:31 pm

    BTW, I’ve decided on strawberries for tomorrow’s recipe thread. I have a test batch of shortcake in the oven right now. If it’s as good as it was simple to put together, it’s a winner.

  31. 31.

    trollhattan

    May 23, 2012 at 4:34 pm

    @Yutsano:

    My sushi lunch coming up will do so as well.

    I think you might could reword that some.

  32. 32.

    Cris (without an H)

    May 23, 2012 at 4:38 pm

    @eemom: Well it’s time you did, Cole. Find a nice girl, settle down, make a few cole-lets.

    Don’t listen, Cole. Know what parenting does to you?

    I compare the process to becoming a vampire, your old self dies in a sad and painful way, but then you come out the other side with immortality, super strength and a taste for human blood. At least that’s how it was for me. At any rate, it’s complicated.

    By the way, your godson is cuter than my own son. Prepare to find him switched out.

  33. 33.

    LAC

    May 23, 2012 at 4:48 pm

    What a squishy pie of love. Thank you for that gorgeous pix.

  34. 34.

    eemom

    May 23, 2012 at 4:55 pm

    @slag:
    @geg6:

    fer fuck’s sake, it was a joke. Lighten up gracies.

    Kind of thought “find a nice girl and settle down” would have made it obvious, but what-ev.

  35. 35.

    eemom

    May 23, 2012 at 5:12 pm

    @Cris (without an H):

    I seriously would be the last person in the world to ever try to persuade anyone to have a kid, least of all someone who didn’t think they wanted one.

    Parenting is the most serious commitment on earth. Look how horribly it gets fucked up by people who DO want to do it.

  36. 36.

    Randy P

    May 23, 2012 at 5:15 pm

    @Dave: When I reflect on my own childhood, I realize I started on the self-taught curmudgeon path early. “There’s no good Saturday morning cartoons but Bugs Bunny anymore. Why I remember back when I was about five…”

  37. 37.

    ruemara

    May 23, 2012 at 5:24 pm

    1. That is some weapons grade cute, right there. Just aim, smile and world wars are won.

    2. I HAVE INTERNETS! Living in a room, but I have cable and internets, plus, I can still cook. Zen about it.

  38. 38.

    Gus

    May 23, 2012 at 5:28 pm

    Wow, that’s one cute happy baby.

  39. 39.

    geg6

    May 23, 2012 at 5:38 pm

    @eemom:

    Hard to tell since people say that to Cole here all the time. But if it’s a joke, fine.

  40. 40.

    PurpleGirl

    May 23, 2012 at 5:51 pm

    Cute baby, and yes, a great ear-to-ear smile.

  41. 41.

    Violet

    May 23, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    Young Master Cole is adorable. Thanks for the photo.

  42. 42.

    gbear

    May 23, 2012 at 7:11 pm

    young Cole strikes me as one of the happiest babies I’ve ever seen.

    Just wait until he realizes he’s gay.

  43. 43.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 23, 2012 at 7:46 pm

    Awwwwww! Young Cole is a doll-baby! Look at that smile!

    @geg6: A-yup. It seems like every time Cole posts a pic of a baby or Tunchie, Lily, and/or Rosie, someone tells him to settle down and have kids. Glad eemom said it as a joke, but it’s kinda like Poe’s law in that it’s identical – including the ‘settle down with a nice girl’ to comments of people who say it in earnest.

    I also agree that some of us with no children are positively gleeful to be in that state (yes, I am one of them). It’s hard to convince some parents of that, though.

  44. 44.

    asiangrrlMN

    May 23, 2012 at 7:58 pm

    @asiangrrlMN: Because I can’t not correct myself: “…it’s identical – including the ‘settle down with a nice girl’ – (missed ending hyphen)to comments of people who say it in earnest.

    To justify commenting twice in a row (as if I never do that!)

    @Cris (without an H): To play devil’s advocate, a recent study showed that fathers are happier than non-fathers. Mothers, on the other hand, not so much.

  45. 45.

    RedKitten

    May 23, 2012 at 8:12 pm

    Daww…that is a CUTE baby! Those squishy little thighs just slay me!

  46. 46.

    Betsy

    May 23, 2012 at 10:33 pm

    MOAR BABY COLE MOAR BABY. ARGHM ARGHM NYOM NYOM. MOAR COLE!!!1

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