The Column
Note from the Future: I’ve decided to remove my kid’s personal info from this post
As a Father: THE THERMOSTAT IS NOT TO BE TOUCHED
I recently became a dad.
It feels weird to say “I became a dad”, because it feels weird to be a dad. The whole thing feels weird. Weird and good. My son is the first baby I’ve spent more than 5 minutes around. The first baby that I’ve held while he cried. The first baby I’ve soothed. The first baby whose diaper I’ve changed. The only baby I’ve ever wanted to hold.
I always wanted a kid because I have some romantic feelings about life and love and purpose and our biological imperatives and existence and stuff… but it turns out that having a kid also comes with some other neat things. The prospect of getting to shape an entire person as he grows up is really exciting. I really look forward to each of his individual stages of development. I can’t wait for it to have “all gone too fast”, as they say. I want to see this little dude thru it all, teach him about what’s right and wrong, tell him all the best jokes, and ways to do stuff. I want to see him learn math, and have to tell him “I don’t know, just because that’s the way it is” during his “why” phase. I look forward to the “pick up your toys” phase. I can’t wait to stomp him in videogames, then slowly start to lose to him.
Life is a matter of balance. Balance, addition, and subtraction. I added a LOT to life in the past 2 weeks, and naturally that means I’ll have to subtract some other things. Hopefully I can have some hand in the picking and choosing about what parts of my old life I jettison to make room for the new. I’m sure it won’t be exactly what I would have picked, but I’m also sure it won’t be exactly what I wouldn’t have. And I’m sure it will all have been worth it.
Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
Top 5: Pictures of my kid
I’ve decided these aren’t mine to share.
That felt a bit like this…
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Quote:
“Aaron you’ve basically been living a dad life perfectly without a child.” Joe