This story has been around for a while, so most of you have probably heard it, but I hope it will still give you a chuckle, nevertheless:

After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing he said was, "Don't.""Don't what?" Adam replied."Don't eat the forbidden fruit," God said.
“Forbidden fruit? We got forbidden fruit? Hey, Eve...we got forbidden fruit!""No way!" "Don't eat that fruit!" said God."Why?""Because I am your Father and I said so!" said God (wondering why he hadn't stopped after making the elephants). A few minutes later God saw his kids having an apple break and was angry. "Didn't I tell you not to eat the fruit?" God asked."Uh huh, " Adam replied."Then why did you?""I dunno" Eve answered."She started it!" Adam said."Did not!""Did too!""DID NOT!"Having had it with the two of them, God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own. Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed. If God had trouble handling children, what makes you think it would be a piece of cake for you?

Interestingly enough, the book of Genesis says that bearing children was Eve’s punishment, Adam’s was having to till the ground. Still, to some extent, both punishments applied to both of them. Granted, no man yet has had to endure labor (thank God), but a father (a real father) is involved in the upbringing of his children in every other stage of the child’s life (yes, I know that there are fathers who don’t get involved in bringing up the children at all, but they are special cases. It shouldn’t be like that). There have been many farmers’ wives that have gotten out in the field and tilled the ground, and there is nothing wrong with that. Adam and Eve both messed up, it’s only fair that their descendents share the punishment.
And, to be honest, it isn’t all punishment. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from putting in a hard day’s work (although sometimes the satisfaction is considerably lessened when one works hard and ends up with little or nothing to show for it). I will grant you that delivering a baby seems to me to be one of the hardest things that any person could ever do. IMHO, I don’t think too many men (if any) are strong enough to survive that. I’m told that the only thing that allows a woman to have a second child is amnesia. Outside of that, though, there are many things about bringing up a child that bring joy to the parents. Baby’s first word, first step, first day at school (well, maybe not so much)… There are times in every parent’s life when a son or daughter will make one proud. And not just winning the big game, or delivering the commencement address—most parents never experience either one of those—but the quiet times when the child says, “I love you,” or just does the right thing without even being asked. It’s hard for me to imagine anything even coming close to the feeling that comes from having sons that have turned into fine young men.