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The Time When Life Changed: Jan. 6 Group Writing
Jan. 6, 2003, I was getting ready for a late meeting with an old employee about some possible contract work. My wife, Linda, was off getting a pedicure with my mother and her best friend. This was Linda’s last fun thing before the scheduled baby shower the next day. We had a scheduled C-section for the 10th. That was not going to happen.
About 6 p.m., my phone rang, and my mother was telling me, “This is the night!” Apparently, Linda had gone into labor, and it was time for our lives to change. At 7:22, our son was born, and we were parents. A few days later, after my mother dropped us off, our son asleep in his car seat, we looked at each other thinking, “What have we done?!”
Well, what we had done was the start of a wonderful journey as a family. We were parents with all the weight and sorrow and joy that brings. It has not been easy. Raising another human being is something that we are not fully equipped to do. As a therapist, I know we have not been able to give either of our children everything they needed. We have been involved in our children’s lives and they know they are accepted and loved, and that is about the best we can do. When they hurt, we hurt with them. When they celebrate, we share their joys.
Our son is 19 today, and he will graduate in May of this year! I am working hard not to “future trip” about him being gone and focus on enjoying each moment. However, the time is fast approaching for another change. The boy that has changed our lives will leave. Already, he has friends we don’t know well, and he is building his life as an adult. We are proud of him and the person he is, and the person he is becoming. We also miss the little boy racing around the house with his sister. The change is the thing.
Happy birthday, Gil.
This entry is part of the group writing series.
Published in General
Congratulations on a job well done, Pops.
Everything about childbirth is a big deal, but one of the unsung moments, which I bet every parent feels, is the time you leave the hospital and drive home with a new baby. Until then, you’re surrounded by doctors, nurses, special equipment, call buttons; after that point, you’re on your own, and the next off-ramp is college graduation. I won’t pretend that I didn’t feel a little trepidation.
A fine post, Bryan!
JY likes to tell everyone that son #1 took one look at our humble home and thought: where’s the complaint box?
There is a sign hanging in my parents’ home that Dad bought for Grandma when he was about 6.
The place where you are treated best
But grumble most
Home Sweet Home
He is, of course, uninterested in this post.
This post about the effect of the birth of a son pairs well with @sawatdeeka‘s post on the birth of a daughter.
This post is part of January’s theme: “The Time When Life Changed.” Resolve to sign up and write this month.
When they are no longer a drain on your finances is the next big step… at least until there are grandbabies to spoil. (:
Can’t wait! Of course my kids are only in their late 50s and early 60s so it could be a while yet.
When they start picking up the check at a restaurant is another.
I’m one for three on that metric. (:
I think we’re 2 for 3, but I definitely noticed a few years ago when the one started insisting on it.