Advice from a friend

My wife and I are expecting our first child this fall. As is typical with couples in our circumstance, we are both elated while at the same time just a wee bit nervous.

Actually, it is true that we are both very excited but I am actually the only one that is visibly nervous.

We have recently begun telling friends and family of our expected arrival with many such conversations including laughter, hugs, tears and advice.

The first call was made to a friend of ours who, due to the fact he is a father of three, has very credible advice; he is also one of those rare friends with a perfect track record of giving good advice when I need it.

He knows me well enough to dissect my excitement determining that I was plenty nervous – terrified perhaps. What sort of father will I be? How will we be able to afford college? How on earth do you change a diaper? Will I ever get a complete night’s sleep again?

Sensing this was one of those times I needed his advice, he shared the following:

Spend quality adult time with your spouse. I’ll not elaborate on this advice further.

Go to the movies at the drop of a hat – the late show and drink caffeinated soda. When you get home, all awake from the soda (he lives in Michigan so Coke is soda in his vocabulary); watch a late movie on TV.

Sleep in Saturday mornings, really late like you used to do in college – both of you. Then get a box of cereal to eat in bed while watching cartoons.

Both of you call in sick to work some day, just play hooky. Go to a museum or to a park or just bum around at the mall.

Take weekend trips, don’t even plan them. Just go – pick a compass direction and see what you find before you run out of gas. Stay in some quaint dump and eat bad delivery pizza for dinner.

Don’t cook meals; you’ll get plenty of that later. Live on leftovers from restaurants and whatever you can pick up ready-made at the grocery store.

Tell each other bad jokes with questionable content, loudly, in the middle of your living room.

Chiefly, he advised that we make the most of our time as a couple realizing that our lives would become diametrically different with the birth of our child. And once again, he came through with good advice when I needed it.

Tim Prince is the publisher of the Shelby County Reporter. He can be reached at mailto:tim.prince@shelbycountyreporter.com