The New Road

Pre-Kid Anxiety

I just got off the line with a friend of mine who is going to have her first kid in a couple of months. I think back to myself at that point and how I was really freaked out about the whole thing. She is much more cool about it. I remember that I had this notion somewhere deep in my subconscious that Megan was going to pop out and start asking questions about God, death, the meaning of life, all of the tough stuff right off the bat. Basically that I would be faced with parenting issues I was completely incapable of handling right away.

I think it comes from seeing other parents and how they respond to their kids and thinking, "Man, I would never have answered that way." And then freaking out because you need to know how to come up with the right answers. But the thing is, they are at one point on the very slow "responsibility curve" of parenting. And that "responsibility curve" is insanely slow. It starts with changing them when they poop and pee, then flicking their hands away from open wall sockets, then separating the kids when they are beating up on each other, and so on. And all that happens well before any sticky questions about God and the nature of man. Plus, at least in the beginning, you get a couple of shots at any question. And even when you do make a mistake later on you can always say, "You know what, I didn't know that was the deal you had with Mom. Sorry about the mixup. Everybody makes mistakes." Or, whatever.

Anyway, long story short, no need to freak out about the parenting thing. And I think every sane and reasonable person is going to be a good parent.