The Appropriate Metaphor for Parenthood

Some people think children are like little lumps of clay, waiting for their parents to lovingly craft them into wonderful human beings.

Me, I think parenthood is more like this: You wake up one day, and to your shock you've been strapped to the back of a wildly galloping stallion. Ahead you can see cliffs in one direction, a pit of quicksand in another, and a sign reading, "Danger: Unexploded Mines." Your desperate hope is that you can get hold of the reins and give the stallion just a bit of guidance before it bucks you off.