A little in awe of the Parents-to-Be
Lovely Lawyer Husband's best friend (who was Best Man at our wedding) and his wife are less than a week away from becoming parents. They are the first of our close friends to have children, and I know that they are going to do a fantastic job. Of course, we've known for nearly nine months about their impending arrival, but it really only hit me yesterday evening when LLH was chatting on the telephone to Daddy-to-Be.
This is something they often do on Sunday evenings (although more so during the NFL season when they enter into lengthy play-by-play analysis - yes, they are the two NFL fans in the UK!) and it suddenly occurred to me that by this time next week, the lives of the Parents-to-Be will have changed hugely and will never be quite the same again. They'll be responsible for raising another human being. Of course, I realise my last statement is totally self-evident, but to me the enormity of it makes it worth saying.
I'm certainly more than a little in awe of them and a bit freaked out too, as LLH and I have never seen ourselves as the parenting-type (indeed, we are over-preparing for the arrival of two cats when we move to our new home!) and find it difficult to fully comprehend what lies ahead for our friends. What surprised me more (although probably wouldn't surprise those with more parental leanings than I) was that Daddy-to-Be admitted that he was finding the whole thing just as difficult to get his head around, despite the fact that he and his wife have planned so much for this. This made me think more than I ever have about how entirely life-altering parenting is, even for those who have wanted to have children for many years. I guess that not being maternal, I had just never really given much thought to it. Whilst you can obviously plan, research and organise (gosh, I'm making it sound like a dissertation chapter!), it seems to me that it's just not possible to be as emotionally or intellectually ready for first-time parenting as you can be for most other life-changing situations. I guess that's why I'm so in awe and excited for our friends. I wish them so much love and luck for this week and this new stage of their lives. I'm also looking forward to going shopping for New Baby gifts :)
This is something they often do on Sunday evenings (although more so during the NFL season when they enter into lengthy play-by-play analysis - yes, they are the two NFL fans in the UK!) and it suddenly occurred to me that by this time next week, the lives of the Parents-to-Be will have changed hugely and will never be quite the same again. They'll be responsible for raising another human being. Of course, I realise my last statement is totally self-evident, but to me the enormity of it makes it worth saying.
I'm certainly more than a little in awe of them and a bit freaked out too, as LLH and I have never seen ourselves as the parenting-type (indeed, we are over-preparing for the arrival of two cats when we move to our new home!) and find it difficult to fully comprehend what lies ahead for our friends. What surprised me more (although probably wouldn't surprise those with more parental leanings than I) was that Daddy-to-Be admitted that he was finding the whole thing just as difficult to get his head around, despite the fact that he and his wife have planned so much for this. This made me think more than I ever have about how entirely life-altering parenting is, even for those who have wanted to have children for many years. I guess that not being maternal, I had just never really given much thought to it. Whilst you can obviously plan, research and organise (gosh, I'm making it sound like a dissertation chapter!), it seems to me that it's just not possible to be as emotionally or intellectually ready for first-time parenting as you can be for most other life-changing situations. I guess that's why I'm so in awe and excited for our friends. I wish them so much love and luck for this week and this new stage of their lives. I'm also looking forward to going shopping for New Baby gifts :)
posted by Pink Cupcake @ 12:30 pm
2 Comments:
You know, my brother's first child made me feel the same way. It is so life-altering, and I'm sure that's why I fear it as I do. Excellently put. And, by the way, your blog is great!
Russian Violets - I'm glad I'm not the only one who is so struck by the enormity of it all. And, thanks for the compliment about the blog. :)
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