And I have no idea what to expect.
As news of Amy's pregnancy reaches beyond the closest circle of friends (that were notified before the three-month mark) and onto colleagues, other friends and acquaintences the words of advice, pointers and inside jokes begins to accumulate. As someone always looking to learn and grow, I listen carefully and try to file each transmitted lesson away in my cranium. Yet I also know that my experience as a father, once our first baby is born, will find me about as prepared as I would be when facing a near-death experience: intuition and gut feelings reign, lessons learnt go out the window and survival begins. I make this sound scary and sinister, but I know this can be a fun and hair-raising state to experience. My date with destiny approaches.
I've got a wife and dog, and my relationship with both seems to work pretty well. I didn't ask for much as advice before the commencement of either relationship and yet they have worked out, with the necessary bumps making for good stories, new expriences and valuable lessons.
Right or wrong, that is how I'm thinking ahead to my father-to-be role. I'll learn as I go. Decisions will be made in real-time, laughs and lessons will accumulate and Amy and I will love eachother as we grow our family. This is not to say I will go in unprepared; I'll take the rite-of-passage prenatal classes, read some labor and infant books, learn about swaddling and diapering and go to all doctor appointments. But much of the lessons that stick with me will have to come first hand, with baby in-tow.
And thus, I wait, realizing that the life in front of me, makes me fully vested - a full participant in life. I'll love it.
No comments:
Post a Comment