Picture this: you’re at a party with a number of adults. In the next room, all the children of those adults are gathered. Playing starts out nicely among the kids, and the adults feel comfortable not keeping a constant watch.
Before long, there is the sound of some scuffling, and a high-pitched cry ensues. Quick, look around!
You’ll see some parents’ heads jerk up and they immediately head toward the scream. Others might turn their heads a bit, but will quickly resume their conversations.
The ones who run to the next room? Rookies. These are the first-time parents. We veterans know how to tell A. the cry of our child and B. whether it’s a cry that needs immediate attention or not.
Back in September, I wrote about the scariness of being a first-time parent with Jayna. As Anton’s birthday approaches, I can look at how things change when bundle of joy number two arrives.
The attitude quickly set in that we knew what we were doing, even before Anton was born. We had everything planned out, including knowing what needed to be packed for the hospital and what to have ready at home for the new arrival.
And then, life throws you a curveball. Michelle had gone in for a regular check-up a week before her due date. I was coaching our final junior high basketball game of the season.
Just as I finished my halftime speech, my phone rang. It was my mother-in-law, telling me I needed to come to Owatonna since they figured Michelle would be having the baby.
I left (the team immediately went on a huge scoring run and finished the season with a good win!), but hadn’t sensed any urgency from Mary, so I went home, grabbed the suitcase, and headed to Owatonna…where I found out they needed to do an emergency C-section!
Everything went fine, but we already knew that just when we thought we had this parenting thing figured out, we would have to learn all over again. As many of you know, raising boys is a whole different ballgame from raising girls, and I’m not just talking about the ability to duck while changing diapers!
Sure, we quickly became those veteran parents from the above example. We didn’t rush directly to the doctor at the first sign of a fever, and we didn’t worry as much about bumps and scrapes.
Just like his sister, Anton once rolled off the bed, and he has certainly had his moments where the temper he inherited genetically has shown up. But he's a gentle soul and has made us proud to have named him after my two grandpas (Anton and William).
Do we know more the second time around as parents? Sure, but there are always new challenges. Having taught plenty of siblings over the years, it’s pretty hard to find two that were completely alike; every child is unique.
My kids like some of the same things, but they continue to develop their own personalities on a daily basis, which means that Michelle and I are never done learning as parents!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is aftermorrow, which means the day after tomorrow, as in, “The basketball player knew he didn’t have a game until aftermorrow, so there would be more time to rest his sore ankle.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!