Children are so fascinating. They're such mysterious creatures that change constantly and are completely and crazily unpredictable. One of my co-workers, in fact, has an adorable 2-year old son. I've met him, and he's simply a sweetie. His mom is a sweetie, too, actually, and I love getting the inside scoop on parenting from her. You know, to get my expectations in line with reality.

Anyway, she was super late to work on Monday. When she finally came in, the reason turned out to be her little son. Apparently, he's entered a scary Mr. Jekyll/Dr. Hyde stage of his life. Angel days are over. He simply woke up one morning and would not stop freaking out. Temper tantrums. Crying fits. Calls from his daycare telling his mom that he's gotta go home. The poor little guy's face is all puffy from sobbing, and he's utterly exhausted at the end of the day. Naturally, we're all asking questions. Is he getting sick? Are the other kids picking on him? What's wrong? Is it "terrible twos" syndrome? Well, here's the best part of parenthood; NOBODY KNOWS THE ANSWER. Some bizarre switch went off in his little head, and nothing makes him happy right now. Let's just hope that the old adage is true - it's just a phase; he'll grow out of it. Otherwise, it's enough to give you goosebumps and put off families for awhile, isn't it? Scary...

In the childhood spirit, I offer these interesting tidbits. Who knows what's going on their heads? Totally a mystery.

All About Marriage
HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?
1) You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming. - Alan, age 10
2) No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with. - Kirsten, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?
1) Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then. - Camille, age 10
2) No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married. - Freddie, age 6

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
1) You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids. - Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
1) Both don't want any more kids. - Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
1) Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough. - Lynnette, age 8
2) On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date. - Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?
1) I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns. - Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
1) When they're rich. - Pam, age 7
2) The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that. - Curt, age 7
3) The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do. - Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
1) It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them. - Anita, age 9

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there? - Kelvin, age 8

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
1) Tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck.- Ricky, age 10