What It Might Teach Me

I’m about to be a dad, and every time I ask other dads about it, a strange common denominator stands out. Most of what they say is negative. “Just wait,” they tell me. “You won’t sleep. You won’t have time. Say goodbye to this, goodbye to that.” It’s kind of annoying. I don’t think it comes from a bad place. I’m sure they love their kids.

I think their minds, left to themselves, default to the hard rather than the meaningful. And I find myself wanting to say, Just tell me something good, the positive stuff.

I’m not naive. I know it’s going to be hard. I didn’t stumble into this blindly. I’ve watched other people go through it. I understand that there will be less sleep, more responsibility, and that my time will no longer be my own in the same way. I know there will be rough moments. I accept all of that. What I don’t understand is why difficulty has to be the headline.