I hate interviews with sports players. The reporters ask the worst questions.
Q: What does your team need to do to win the game?
A: We need to score more points than the other team.
Q: What did you guys do to win the game?
A: We scored more than the other team.
Q: Why did you guys lose?
A: We didn’t score as many points as the other team.
Q: What is your strategy for the game?
A: To score points and win.
Every interview is the same awful questions with athletes trying to make up new and exciting answers. I just watched an interview where a coach said he wasn’t going to speak about a certain subject and then 3 reporters asked him a question about that subject. His response to all 3 was, “next question.” The terrible interview was what convinced me to turn off the TV and write this post.
Zeke is roughly 3 weeks away from being here. The question I get asked on almost a daily basis is am I ready to be a dad. It’s an easy conversation starter I guess, but I have to admit I feel a little like I’m an athlete being interviewed when I am asked that. My typical response is, “I don’t really have a choice.” It’s a bit of a snarky response I guess, but it’s the truth. I think what people are really trying to get at is how do I feel about being a dad. That is a much more difficult question to answer.
I’ll start by saying I am super excited. That is probably an understatement, because it is probably going to be the coolest thing that is happened in my life. And I have done some cool stuff, so that is saying a lot. When I get to hold Iron Man for the first time, I’m sure nothing else in the world will matter. And then he will probably poop or throw up on me and it will be back to reality.
There is also this overwhelming sense of responsibility. Being the man of the house will take on a whole new meaning. Angela is in a good place spiritually but now I’ll take on the responsibility for my little one as well. Not that I don’t think I am ready, or don’t think I can handle it, but that is a lot of responsibility. I still struggle with making sure the dishes are clean, and now I have to raise my little dude to love Jesus. That is a lot to wrap your head around.
There is also the sense of going into the unknown. I’ve seen people who have babies and a glimpse into what they go through. I’ve also worked in childcare for over 10 years. Never started from scratch though. I’m not really worried about being an awesome dad. I’m pretty confident that will be the case. Part of the reason is that I have already accepted that I am going to do some things wrong and that is OK. I’ll learn from the mistakes, ask forgiveness if needed, and move on. Part of the fun will be figuring it out as I go.
So if you want to know if I am ready my answer is still the same, I don’t really have a choice to be ready or not. But if you are wondering how I feel about being a dad, I’m ready for it.
until next time…
Photo courtesy of Do-Hyun Kim