CONGRATULATIONS!
[beer]
You are about to embark on a long journey filled with joy, stress, frustration and fear. Your journey will be fraught with storms, heavy seas and heavy doses of St. Elmo's fire. Raising your kids will be the hardest, most expensive thing you will ever do in your lifetime. Your lives are about to change like you have never imagined.
You going to pass by mileposts common to all parents in our society (First steps, little league, dance lessons, first puppy, first lost tooth, FIRST DAY AT THE RANGE!). Cherish those moments spent with your kids. They grow up so fast. Take lots of pictures of these important mileposts. You'll want them later.
Be patient with them. They are little people and they want to learn all about their ever expanding world and how Daddy does this or that. You and the missus will be the most important people in their lives until they become teenagers. As they mature, they will expand their center of interest out of your lives slowly and begin a real interest in their peers…especially those of the opposite sex (Get the shotgun!) [shotgun]
Understand the special but somewhat different bonds that you and your wife will have with them. You must be aware of the uniqueness of each and nurture and deal with them. Your wife will have a special bond...that in the uneducated and unaware husband can lead to jealousy. Don't sweat that. Just be a daddy. The peewees will love you for who you are.
TRY to prepare yourself for puberty. [shock] As they spread their wings, they will push you both and their envelope HARD. Keep your cool. At about fourteen, you will become the dumbest rock on the planet, totally ignorant of the REAL world. Also, remember that they will be the first generation EVER to experience things that thousands of generations before them since creation have been fortunate not to have had to go through. You just won’t UNDERSTAND anything either! Then, when they reach about 19-21, suddenly Pops isn’t such a dunce after all! One day, they will make you the proudest Poppa ever, as they make it by one of the big mileposts and graduate from their chosen school or military boot camp. Helping your son or daughter cut their commissioning cake with their sword and maybe years later, their retirement cake, is something to remember.
Lead by example. Kids are very astute little creatures. NEVER use the, “Do as I say…NOT as I do” on them. Bad juju.
Kids are breakers of fine things. “Kid Proofing” is no joke. They are going to break stuff anyway…but don’t punish when you are angry. Get pissed…just don’t take it out on them. Punish yes, but take a deep breath and remember, they aren’t adults with adult education, reasoning powers, motor skills and judgment. Don’t take it personally.
Finally, Enjoy them. Having sent all these warnings, I must say, our lives have been enriched beyond our wildest dreams by our kids.
Ahhh…and now the punch line…Just what in the Wide Wide World of Sports qualifies me to blather on like this…when I first had little ones nearly thirty years ago? Well…after raising one family, we are at it again (27, 24, 5, 2 ½), so I figure I’ve gained a bit of experience along the way. To clarify, the 27 & 24 year old (boy/girl) are our kids. My wife and I are now raising our grandkids. Physically harder this time around…but much easier otherwise.
It’s going to be fun…so batten down the hatches and have a good time!
[:D]