We had the usual conversation about what it’s like to become parents and how our perceptions of life change and so on, and then Jamie said something I’d never heard a parent say before. She said, “You know, Don, I’ve become protective of what people say to my children. It’s surprising how many people already want to name them.” I told her I didn’t know what she meant and so she explained. “They’ll pick up my son and say something like, ‘Oh, look at you, you’re going to be a little rebel. You’re going to make trouble for everybody, aren’t you? You’re going to be a firecracker.’ ” “Okay,” I
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