I don't have kids of my own. I've always joked that I have a hostile womb. Sometimes people will come up to me when I'm signing autographs and insist that I MUST have a child. Insist that I will REGRET it if I don't. Well, I should INSIST that it's none of their business, really. But usually I just smile and say thank you for the compliment, because I DO take it as a compliment.
I am one of those people who never had that GREAT CERTAINTY about having children. And I have always believed that in order to really do the right thing by any little being that you usher into the world, you'd damn well better have that GREAT CERTAINTY.

I also love my life exactly the way it is.

I have two incredible step kids. They are grown up and exquisite human beings that I love to be with. They came to visit for Christmas, and we had a blast playing trivial pursuit, boggle, watching bad action movies, and basically not ever getting out of our pajamas.
I have five nieces and nephews and love watching as they go through alternately awful and wonderful stages. And I always get to go home at the end of the weekend!
Recently I sent three huge boxes of hand-me downs to my niece Ariel who is in art school in Maine. She had a yard sale/fashion show in her dorm:

 lovely spring poncho, if spring ever comes.

Nikki in a lovely vintage confection

Lovely black cardigan by je ne sais qui

Dorothy's red cowboy boots. There's no place like...

Ok, I'm not sure who made the bath mat into a hoodie

Never a party until the sock monkey starts breaking out the moves in her lingerie.

Needless to say, these are a few of my favorite reasons why I'm happy to be an aunt, and (i like to think) a pretty cool step-mother. Suits me fine. And, look, no diapers!!

Stay warm out there. It's just not funny at all what's going on.

jb