The Update and Continued Reading

In regards to our discussion (Twin and I) in the last week about having children, its as I briefly stated yesterday that it will be revisited 6 months after we move if we get into the house. Twin has always felt that if she was going to have children, she’d want to own a house. That is potentially happening, so her maternal drive is strengthening. I’ve made it a point to say that this is a big life change, so we have to let it settle then go forward however we want. She has also said a few times she’s scared of being pregnant because she’s never personally experience that. I offered the idea of reading books and what not, but she didn’t feel that was necessary. I know personally I still want to read books because there is the "Business of being Born" that I am a little concerned about.

She expressed that she always thought I was more ready than her, but I told her that I didn’t feel that way. Yes, I have subconsciously been preparing myself for the moment I know I’m going to be a dad… but I’m not more ready than she is. There was a point in after she told her parents about our discussion that her dad said to us though more directed to me, "You’re never ready as a father until it happens. All the sudden you have this thing you need to care for and its your responsibility." That’s true, as just a few hours before I had that epiphany from a daydream where Twin tells me she’s pregnant and I thought "oh boy, here we go."

In that 9 months I know I will have to work at knowing I can rise above my parents and provide a more psychologically sound upbringing than my parents did. Twin will have her own concerns as well, so I will be supportive and will help her work through her own insecurities.

Reading:

I read a lot last night, actually opting to read over playing Skyrim (I think because its so HOT… and I say that purely as a Washingtonian who would have died in the heat east of the Rockies).

A lot of what I read finished explaining the reason behind the Prophet, Nomad, Hero, and Artist archetypes and dug deeper into post-WWII American History. That chapter was focused on the American High, which was pinned at ending as 1962 drew to a close. All of that stuff might as well be ancient history, or something for retrospective movies and shows. I did watch American Graffiti in HS, but didn’t come away from that realizing that it portrayed the stereotypes of the American High. I know things were not all malted shakes, hamburgers, and gargantuan cars so the movie doesn’t fully represent the era and neither does my book.

Combining some of my waning memory of post-WWII history lessons and what I read it was painfully obvious why a whole generation would rebel from the ways of the G.I. Generation as they grew up. I haven’t yet finished reading what the authors have to say about the "Consciousness Revolution" but I imagine with the High being so extreme that this "revolution" was also extreme.

I am still grappling with how they believe a majority of Boomers birthed members of the Millennial Generation. My mom wasn’t young as a mother, and a late Boomer yet I’m an early Millennial. It doesn’t seem to be pulled into the books discussion often that members of the early Silent Generation had as much to do with the baby boom as late GI’s did. I’m going to do some work to try and understand this further. I feel like if I figure it out, I can better understand what’s going on now and look into the future better.

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July 13, 2012

being pregnant and giving birth and raising a child….all sounds so very exciting and terrifying, all at the same time. i agree with those who say you are really prepared fully until it happens…..but like you, i would still like to read up as much as humanly possible beforehand to keep the “surprises” at a minimum.

July 13, 2012

I agree with the above noter, and you too. It’s best to be as “prepared” as you can possibly be. Whenever the time comes for us too, I plan on reading a lot of books and doing whatever I can to get even more ready for it. You guys will be good parents!

July 13, 2012

At 27 I think about babies more often… I think financial comfort would be nice to have befor having a baby, if you can plan it. But emotionally? Life-wise? Probably never ready until it happens. Then it’s the best thing that ever happened. Reading about pregnancy is essential for a man because it’s such a personal experience only for women… So you should read. It’ll help you build compassion for feelings you’ll never experience nor personally understand.

July 16, 2012

I have always found that period of time 1962 – 1963 to be interesting, but I don’t know that I had heard it referred to as the end of the American High.

July 16, 2012

Don’t think it’s possible to be prepared for a baby ever. It’s just natural instinct that kicks in. And I think that all new parents feel that they want to parent differently than they were brought up. Sometimes that is necessary, and then sometimes you repeat things you were told as a child.

July 16, 2012

I was going to say the same, you are never ready until it happens. 🙂 RYN: yes, Facebook IS stupid. 🙂

July 16, 2012

RYN: Oh as for the switching teams thing, I am pretty certain I would have switched teams had P NOT been on the team. I do really want to play with Ben and move to a team that doesnt have such low morale. Pretty certain. 🙂

July 16, 2012

RYN – Yes, 15 miles is usually a pretty quick ride. This one had more of a moving festival atmosphere. We rode slow (I had my hybrid, not my road bike) and we spend some time at all five of the stops they had along the way. This was not really geared to the bicyclist, but more to people who happened to have a bike.