I am your father
Well, folks, it happened: I am a father. That’s that. Then what? Then real life begins, it feels like… Below my top 3 thoughts on the matter — that’s as many thoughts as I can hold these days. Or any day, some would say. Anyway, here goes…
First, on the actual proceedings (no, I didn’t take any pictures: I’m not a complete idiot, there is such a thing as a battered man), everything went well. Like, really well: apart from an hour during which my wife was waiting for an epidural and the anaesthesiologist was taking care of another expecting mother in need of more urgent help (Murphy’s law, as always), things went real smooth. The birth itself took under 30 minutes: I didn’t have to count, the midwife did. I was busy actually watching a rather incredible scene: our daughter was born “en-caul”, meaning she’d stayed put inside her amniotic sac, which made it look like she was effectively in a bubble. For a moment there, I could have thought I was watching a movie. But I assume most parents feel that way…
Second, on the follow-up: I guess we got lucky, the little lady is being incredibly easy — for now. She tends to sleep through proper stretches of time (3-4 hours on average, wich means we can get some sleep), doesn’t cry much, is perfectly healthy… and obviously the cutest baby in the world. Again, I assume most parents feel that way. But, in this case, it’s true. I can say whatever I want, it’s my blog. Also, I’m still a bit jet-lagged from the whole thing. Meaning my overall point of view on pretty much everything has been altered somehow since Tuesday morning, 00:29. Fundamentally for the better.
For that is the last point I’m gonna make before I go back to playing with my daughter: I feel profoundly fuller now than I did a week ago. I may say otherwise in 12 years when she’s telling me I suck and she’d rather be adopted (I know what’s coming) but, really, having a child feels like you’re entering an absolutely new reality. One where you are not your ultimate priority — only to the extent that it allows you to cater for your child(ren). In short, it gives me an incredibly powerful reason to live, do things, improve the world around me.
These days, some argue that having a child is hazardous because of all the threats we are facing (see: global warming for one). We have all witnessed young parents get overly cautious and become effectively afraid of the road ahead. I myself feel the exact opposite: because I now have a child, I find it the best reason to do everything in my power to improve the world we live in. The world she lives in.