My daughter was born last week and it’s been an amazing experience so far. I don’t really have words for the whole pregnancy and labour process, other than to say my wife is a super hero. It’s pretty awesome having a baby that looks up at you with love and trust immediately, I’ve never experienced anything like that before, it really is a form of unconditional love for them and us.
What I have found most interesting is how much having a baby is still a special thing. When you’re a child, you get these special magic moments where the world stops, and it’s like the biggest thing on the planet is happening. Things like your birthday or your friend’s birthday, or cultural events like Christmas. Nothing really matters but that thing that’s happening in that moment, and your entire world at that point in terms of your friends, family, school and everything else is acknowledging it and participating in it as a special thing.
As an adult, your world grows bigger and more complicated. Maybe you don’t even want to recognize your birthday anymore, it just means you’re getting old. Christmas and other cultural events have lost most of their magic. Everyone is so busy as an adult… maybe you go out for dinner with friends to acknowledge something important, but everyone’s a bit tired from work, and their heads are full with what’s next on their plate professionally or what’s going on at home.
But having a kid? Honestly, it still holds such a special place in our society, right across the board. Family and extended family are excited as can be, co-workers are asking to see pictures of the baby, business partners drop off gifts, friends are buying you food and asking to see the baby, etc. It’s surreal to me how the specialness of it is universally acknowledged, you’ve really got to go all the way back to your childhood to find something equivalent in terms of a special, magical experience.