A Preemptive Parental Apology

3:39 PM Posted by Knox McCoy

(Originally Published 12/7/08)

One of the perks of having a baby is the influx of visitors who come by to sneak a peek at our little guy. It's nice when people stop by because it has a way of evacuating us from the baby bedlam and reintroducing us to normal adult conversation.

If we aren't careful though, conversation can quickly turn to the current color and texture of Rowe's feces which is no doubt a delight for those not yet a part of the parenting faction. I realized this from a clever insight made from one of our recent guests.

Having Rowe is such a huge and monumental life change and I mean to convey that without any tinge of negativity attached. It's crazy and stressful, but it also has completely redefined our concepts of love and happiness.

Unfortunately, I think this tidal wave of enthusiasm sometimes washes over new parents and we aren't careful in how condescending we can sound when discussing how great it is to be a parent.

Don't get me wrong, it is great, but that is only so because of the context in which it exists. We were ready for this and wanted it, so we love this current season of our life. That doesn't mean that those who don't have kids are somehow missing out, but sometimes this seems to be the unspoken message new parents clumsily relate. It just means that as new parents, we find ourselves perfectly stationed where we wanted to be.

There are so many different seasons of life that God blesses us with and this happens to be the one in which we find ourselves so forgive us, childless people, in advance for the hyperbolic rants about the newfound nirvana that only children can bring. Because even though it will take awhile for the joy he escorted into our lives to dissipate, this season will no doubt be followed by yet another season of life that is deemed best one ever. I guess it is all about the immediacy of the current situation.

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