AT THE END of a busy week, my 17-year-old daughter -- eldest of my four kids -- asked me why I had had children. I could never imagine my life without them, I replied.
"But, Mom," she said, "you don't have a life."
--Contributed to "Short Takes" by Ora Justice

ON A SHOPPING TRIP with my daughter, a Navy flight surgeon, I noticed that one item on her list was Snoopy bandages. She said they were for some of her patients who were unnecessarily upset by their minor scratches and routine shots.
Beaming with maternal pride, I told her how thoughtful she was to make the officers' children so happy.
"Children?" she said. "Mother, these are for the pilots."
--Contributed to "Humor In Uniform" by Fran Solomon Smith

WHILE WE STOOD at attention during a parade, the private next to me waved to someone in the audience. "Jones, never do that again!" our drill instructor sternly whispered. But a few minutes later, the soldier waved a second time. Back in the barracks after the parade, the DI barreled in and barked for Jones to come front and center. "Son, you knew I was going to see you," he screamed. "You knew it was wrong. Aren't you afraid of me?" "Yes, sir!" replied Jones. "But you don't know my mother!"
--Contributed to "Humor In Uniform" by Andrew G. Ramon