He really was just about as cute as a little goober could be. I was coming out of an aisle at Wal-mart and the little guy and his Mommy (I assume she was Mommy) were walking by, so I stopped to wait. His left hand was holding Mommy's hand and his right hand was at his mouth, where he was sucking on his ring and middle fingers. He was two, maybe three, but I am not good at guessing. He had on black jeans and a black sweatshirt and a black Batman cowl was pulled down over his head. The cowl looked handmade but was really very well done. He looked just like Batman's little boy.
"Ooo!" I said. "Batman!" He whipped his head around and his smile was so big I could see it even through the cowl. "Grrr!" he said, still smiling and still sucking his fingers. Does Batman growl? I don't know, but that one did. He and Mommy walked on and I followed because I was going that way. In about ten more feet he looked up at Mommy, raised his arms and said something, at which point she reached down and swung him up to rest on her hip and they walked on. (Which brings up the question, are all Mommies equipped with a baby hip? Women don't seem to need any training at all to rest a child on their hip and carry on. It is amazing to me.) So, Batman gave me one last look, then rested his head on Mommy and went away, more secure than even in the Batmobile.
I went on my way, marveling in the complete trust a small child has in Mom. Of course, that will change. As kids get older they begin to deviate from that unfailing trust. He will, in time, become head strong. Mom will, in time, begin to rub him the wrong way. It happens. But the bond will always be there, even if tenuous at times. If all goes well there will come a day when he, older than even Mommy is now, holds Mom's hand and comforts her as she struggles for life. It is the order of things.
As I walked along I thought on these things. It was such a precious scene. It lifted my spirit. But the thought kept coming to me....if all goes well. There are so many things that can interfere with all going well. So many pitfalls waiting to swallow up little Batmen and Princesses. Or, for that matter, Mommies and Daddies. There will certainly be tears someday with that little Batman and his Mommy. What will cause those tears? What will bring on heartache? What suffering will be there? 
Our son and his wife decided before they were married that they wanted no kids. Their reasoning was that it would be cruel to bring a child into this world. Kimberly (our daughter-in-law) has a sister who is married and the sister and her husband have the same thought. Being that there are only the two girls, Kimberly's parents will have no grandchildren. Adam (our son) is an only child, so Marsha and I will also have no grands. I have talked to Kimberly's parents about this and we all agree that if they do not want kids they shouldn't have kids. But there is that in me that would like to have a little goober running around. My cousin Steve grew up in Indianapolis. He and I were just months apart in age and we saw each other often for a long time. He died last year of cancer. He and Betty had a son and a daughter and the daughter, Melissa (she prefers Missy) got married, in Indianapolis, on the 29th of September, three weeks ago. I did the wedding. When I was going through counseling with them, I asked the question, Are you planning on children? The response was a very positive "Yes!" I told them that would make Missy's Mom quite happy. (She already has three grands from her son.) Missy's eyes got big and she said, "Hey, you could be their grandpa since you aren't going to have any from Adam!" It kind of startled me and I laughed. I thought to myself, "Fill in grandkids." We'll see.
It would be kind of neat, though, but still there is the thought.....what kind of life will a child now have in twenty years. What new evil, new drug, new temptation will pull at them. Will they go off to war? Will they fall victim to some new disease? What awaits?
The Bible says in Proverbs 22:5-6, Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them. Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Many times I have heard a distraught Mom or Dad say, "I raised that child right! They were in church every Sunday! What more could I do?" The first thing I point out is that the Scripture says even when they are old they will not depart from it. Sometimes age and experience is what pulls it all together. But also, the command to train a child up is not given to the church. It is given to the parents, even to the grandparents. Taking them to church is a part, but they spend a lot more time in school or on the internet or reading or in front of them TV than in church. They have friends who are not the best of friends and they will have temptations thrown at them. You cannot expect church to train them up when the other 166 hours a week away from church is filled with evil. 
Have your children or grandchildren heard you pray? Or, have they heard you curse? If they have heard both, what do you suppose they will remember in time to come? Perhaps to you, getting angry justifies a quick flash of foul language or inappropriate physical response. But how does your child or grandchild interpret that action? 
Little ones look to their Moms and Dads and grandparents for leadership. When they do not find leadership there, they look elsewhere.
So, Batman rode off on Mommy's hip. I pray that Mommy will raise him up in the way he should go. And not just that Mommy. But all those Mommies and Daddies and grandfolks. Be the very best example of the Love of God they can have. You only get the one shot.