First post after becoming a parent. Everyone healthy. This post could be one word, grateful. I’ll add a little more color for you here…
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My reflections in real time on becoming a parent.
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Ok, so I guess I don’t have some mind blowing message at this point, which in itself I find interesting.
It’s strange, where intellectually you are aware that a big primal event has happened but you still kind of feel exactly the same.
I think it’s gotta be like some superhero origin story, like the hero just survived a nuclear event and he feels like something should be different but he’s not sure what…and so he’s walking around now in the immediate aftermath, observing to see what’s changed. Am I supposed to be able to zap stuff with my fingers now? I still think fart jokes are funny…is that gonna be an issue?
Delivery. A vast wave of immediate emotion, gender surprise, disbelief, all very quickly turned into a simple state of emotional blank slate and just paying attention.
Day 1, I imagine is a little like what boot camp must be, just going minute to minute, getting tasks done. Earning a few winks of fake sleep by doing a task well. Day and night have no meaning, no real reflecting going on. Fart jokes still funny.
Day 2, more but little moments of reflecting begin to appear, like writing on my phone right now.
Maybe there is no big epiphany moment at all, maybe it’s just a mind meld that you are unaware of until you force yourself to think about certain things later. Like I remember how talking about breast feeding used to be pretty awkward and now it’s like talking about the weather. And it’s pretty interesting. Hmph.
If me three days ago would have asked me today what’s it like I would say, ‘imagine someone handed you a baby right now and said, ‘here this is yours.’
Aside from the initial primal rush at birth I think that’s pretty accurate.
There have been a few moments holding her on day 2 and starting to let it sink in. And watching her sleep and whispering, ‘dream little pea, dream really big, go on’ and thinking, whoa that’s pretty cool. Not sure where that thought came from. *Zap’s finger?*
Leaving the maternity ward later today will be very interesting.
Have some thoughts? Feel free to drop a comment or hit me up: charlie@charleskunken.com
OTHER POSTS IN THE NEXT ADVENTURE SERIES
The upsides to creativity within the nooks and crannies of parenting (with the help of a kick-@$$ wife)