Don’t Be Afraid of Parenthood

Don’t Be Afraid of Parenthood

Referring to the months leading up to the Hammer’s arrival as “stressful” is a massive understatement.

I was out of my mind with anxiety, from worries about future restrictions on money and and sleep and time, to concerns about both the baby’s and Mom and Buried’s health, to wondering how I would possible survive the post-delivery ban on sex, my mind was overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty.

Now, of course – exactly as I kept telling myself it would be all along (to little avail) – everything is fine.

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The Agony of Colic

The Agony of Colic

In its darkest moments, parenting boils down to two emotions.

Once you muffle the laughter and the joy – and let’s be real here, in the face of the day-to-day grind that is raising children, the laughter and the joy are already often muffled by the frustration and the exhaustion – two feelings come to the fore over and over again. Two feelings that, on your worst days, overwhelm everything else.

Being a parent is largely about guilt and fear, even when it should be about neither.

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I Hate Taking Naps

I Hate Taking Naps

I’m so tired right now, there’s at least a 30% chance that I’m dreaming this.

I don’t remember it being this tough with the first kid, but that might be because your brain makes you forget the early days of infancy so you’ll be stupid enough to do it again. Not only does the Hammer spend most of the night wide awake, he spends most of the night wide awake and screaming.

We’re only three weeks in, so there’s always a chance the kid will settle down and the screaming will stop and his sleep schedule will improve. But even if it does, I’m still going to be tired.

For one thing, I’m almost forty. For another, I’m a parent. And, perhaps most importantly, I don’t take naps.

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For Multiple Reasons

For Multiple Reasons

I have to correct something today.

The last ten months have been rough. The pregnancy was challenging and inconvenient for everyone, but for my wife it was excruciating. It took a toll on her, both physically and emotionally. She powered through, of course, because that’s what she does.

Unfortunately, lost in all the well-wishes for our new addition, forgotten amidst all the accolades about how adorable the new baby is, and how handsome he is, and how – apropos of nothing – he looks EXACTLY like me (score!), is a little recognition for Mom and Buried.

For multiple reasons.

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