I thought the most exciting moment of my life would be the day I met my wife. Then I thought is was the day we were married and then the day we found out we were expecting. I was wrong. It was February 20, 2009. This was the day I saw the first glimpse of my child.
We went for an ultrasound and were able to see a jelly bean looking thing that was flickering at us. The technician explained to us what we were looking at right then. The mass of cells was our baby, and the flickering was the heart beating.
My wife and I were practically in tears seeing this miracle unfold before our very eyes. It is fair to say that I am not an emotional guy and yet this struck the strings of my heart. I can not imagine how anyone seeing this could think of this forming child as anything less than a crying, pooping, talcum powdered bundle of joy.
Honestly, I used to look at friends who would print these pictures out and show them off as weirdos. I was excited for them and understood the emotion of happiness and pride. There were even daydreams of the day I would be in their shoes. Never once did I think it would be so exciting to see a blurb on a computer screen. I was wrong again.
From that day forward my whole perspective on life has changed. My goals and priorities have shifted. My wife is going to be a fantastic mommy. She is gifted with deep compassion and natural instincts. I am not.
Knowing my weaknesses, I have spent hours reading websites and listening to audio books about parenting. I am a realist and know that book knowledge alone will not raise a child. Experience and knowledge are what create the wisdom needed.
Do any of you parents have suggestions for me? What are your tricks for deciding what principles to teach and raise them by? What if you and your spouse disagree in certain areas? What other tips (in general) can you offer a rookie?
hello! first of all, id like to say congratulations. having a child is God’s greatest blessing to us.. isnt it? anyway, my suggestion is that even before the kids come out, you and your spouse should have a heart to heart talk as to what is important to both of you… so you can teach this to your kids. while you can be prepared, there are many other things you will learn while the kids are growing up 🙂
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Chris, thank you for the advice. We have been talking about everything from what type of diapers to our policy on out-of-state college 🙂 Keep the advice coming…it is needed and appreciated.
I just posted my own ultrasound pic – of my 8th baby! I have a blog that would be more appropriate for mom, though – it’s meant for encouragement to moms.
My biggest piece of advice is to always make sure that your children know that you love their mother! It makes for much more secure children. 🙂
Parenting is a demanding, tiring job, especially if you do it well.
The most important thing I try to do is let my kids know that everything I do for them is because I love them.
Beth and Michele….thank you! I will pass your blog onto my wife, Beth. Your articles are really good and I love how you begin each with a verse.
Thank you for reading.