Year 1 was an adventure. I had never taught at this school and it seemed like every week I was experiencing something for the first time.
Year 2 was a challenge. I knew the scope of the year, which comforted me but also made me feel stress, as I knew what was coming up next.
Year 3 was time to grow up. For the first time I taught at a school for a third year. No longer could I claim the guise of a rookie teacher. At the end of year I got confirmation that I was truly part of this school community when I was awarded tenure.
Year 4 is going to be something different all together and I’m not sure how it’s going to pan out.
I still love my school and I love my job, but my experiences with my son Ollie and my wife these past couple months have shown me that my priority, what’s most important to me in my life, is my family.
I’ve always felt that my family was central in my life but before Ollie, it was easier to spend more energy focusing on work. I still get into a great work mode, but at the back of my mind, I’m thinking about my son.
I believe that the best way to take care of another person is to take care of yourself and the best way to love someone is to love yourself. Enjoying my time at school and challenging myself to grow is not only a financial contribution to my family but it’s also a way that I can take care of my own needs socially, professionally and philosophically.
The challenges are laid out in front of me. I’m taking days off for my paternity leave this fall. I have new teachers that I’m working with along with a new principal. These professionals can help me in my job with fresh perspectives. However at the same time I need to help them get to know what I do and help guide them through the scope of the year.
Then there’s the role of co-music department chair, which I’m sharing with the previous department chair. I’m looking forward to helping serve my colleagues in this capacity but I’m also nervous about situations I’ve never dealt with and conversations I’ve yet to have.
When I think about school, I’m excited. I’m looking forward to getting to know my kids and the process of putting together great musical experiences for my students and the school community. More than that I can’t wait for the little moments that make the struggles of teaching worth it and the energy from my students that keeps me going.
Year 4 is going to be fun, confusing, challenging, exacerbating and full of moments that I'll struggle to accept and memories that I hope I will never forget.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time by R. Kelly
Conversation between me and Diana as we were sorting through storage boxes:
D: Do you want this cd?
K: prob not. . . Wait a sec. . . OH MY GOD! Yes!!
D: Are you sure? I mean it's not . . .
K: Give it to me NOW!.
The CD in question was “Now That’s What I Call Music 3.”
For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, the “Now That’s What I Call Music” was a series of compilation CD’s of current popular songs. If you watched MTV and VH1 regularly like I did growing up, you were used to seeing television commercials for these CDs ALL of the time.
Believe it or not the series is still going on and is up to number 43. While the television commercials don’t seem as prevalent, someone out there must still be buying these things.
After listening to this CD over the past week.,I’ve come to the some conclusions about the state of pop music as represented by this CD in 1999.
Enrique Iglesias is shockingly sensual. “Bailamos” is absolutely astounding in its level of “heat.”
I still don’t care about what Limp Bizkit will do for the “Nookie.” This song is all immature bravado and doesn’t describe any real substance.
Oh, K-Ci & Jojo, I believe that you want to hear that it’s real.
And then there’s R. Kelly – Mr. “Trapped In the Closet, went on trial for doing things that I get creeped out even thinking about thinking about, wave around arms like just weird conducting that choir in the end of the “I Believe I Can Fly” video.”
“If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time” was not a huge hit for R. Kelly. However this song, a beautiful mixture of “Unchained Melody” and 1970s soul is a powerful, emotional and touching ballad. R. Kelly’s schmaltz can be a bit much and it definitely feels melodramatic but this is an example of when this was done right.
The sentiment in this song of regret is instantly relatable (unlike the call for needing a city like Gotham).
Instead of projecting a “playa” image, R. Kelly portrays a man who feels at a loss, who has weakness and surprisingly vulnerability. The reflections that R. Kelly makes are simple but insightful. For example, “You had enough love for the both of us” is a powerful realization of how much his partner had to give and how little he gave. Also this describes how blind he was to the blessings in his life.
What really feels timeless about this song is that if Jimmy Ruffin sang this song in the 1960s or Adele sang it right now, it would be a hit.
R. Kelly through his career sometimes seems to have become a caricature of himself. It’s easy to forget that behind the bravado and the controversy, you have a great singer who understands his place in popular music. As “Now That’s What I Call Music 3,” takes me back to another time in my life, there’s some things that I’m glad I forgot about like “Nookie,” but others things I’m glad I rediscovered.
D: Do you want this cd?
K: prob not. . . Wait a sec. . . OH MY GOD! Yes!!
D: Are you sure? I mean it's not . . .
K: Give it to me NOW!.
The CD in question was “Now That’s What I Call Music 3.”
For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, the “Now That’s What I Call Music” was a series of compilation CD’s of current popular songs. If you watched MTV and VH1 regularly like I did growing up, you were used to seeing television commercials for these CDs ALL of the time.
Believe it or not the series is still going on and is up to number 43. While the television commercials don’t seem as prevalent, someone out there must still be buying these things.
After listening to this CD over the past week.,I’ve come to the some conclusions about the state of pop music as represented by this CD in 1999.
Enrique Iglesias is shockingly sensual. “Bailamos” is absolutely astounding in its level of “heat.”
I still don’t care about what Limp Bizkit will do for the “Nookie.” This song is all immature bravado and doesn’t describe any real substance.
Oh, K-Ci & Jojo, I believe that you want to hear that it’s real.
And then there’s R. Kelly – Mr. “Trapped In the Closet, went on trial for doing things that I get creeped out even thinking about thinking about, wave around arms like just weird conducting that choir in the end of the “I Believe I Can Fly” video.”
“If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time” was not a huge hit for R. Kelly. However this song, a beautiful mixture of “Unchained Melody” and 1970s soul is a powerful, emotional and touching ballad. R. Kelly’s schmaltz can be a bit much and it definitely feels melodramatic but this is an example of when this was done right.
The sentiment in this song of regret is instantly relatable (unlike the call for needing a city like Gotham).
Instead of projecting a “playa” image, R. Kelly portrays a man who feels at a loss, who has weakness and surprisingly vulnerability. The reflections that R. Kelly makes are simple but insightful. For example, “You had enough love for the both of us” is a powerful realization of how much his partner had to give and how little he gave. Also this describes how blind he was to the blessings in his life.
What really feels timeless about this song is that if Jimmy Ruffin sang this song in the 1960s or Adele sang it right now, it would be a hit.
R. Kelly through his career sometimes seems to have become a caricature of himself. It’s easy to forget that behind the bravado and the controversy, you have a great singer who understands his place in popular music. As “Now That’s What I Call Music 3,” takes me back to another time in my life, there’s some things that I’m glad I forgot about like “Nookie,” but others things I’m glad I rediscovered.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Parenthood: Week 13 – Nana's Story
“He told me to give him Carnation canned milk diluted half and half with water.”
My wife Diana’s Welsh Nana sometimes repeats stories. She's allowed to—she's over 80. I heard the one about the Carnation canned milk for the first time almost a decade ago, but it wasn’t until hearing it again last week that I realized why this moment had stayed with her after all of these years.
The story goes like this: My father-in-law Andy was a big, hungry baby. She tried to nurse him, but he just kept crying. So Nana went to the town doctor (this was a small enough town where there was only one doctor) and he instructed her to buy a can of Carnation milk, dilute it with water “half and half” and feed it to him. She proceeded to do this and it helped satiate his hunger. He stopped crying.
This story was the first thing she thought of when Diana told Nana she was pregnant, and Nana has told us this story almost every time we have seen her since. The first few times I heard this story, I didn’t understand why Nana seemed to get choked up every time she told it. So she gave her baby some canned milk, big deal. People do this ALL of the time now with formula.
Hearing this story again after becoming a dad, I realized that this story embodies some of the most powerful and undeniable emotions about being a parent.
The experience of being a parent is a mix of instinct, social expectations, and spirituality. These three things combine in almost every action and choice parents make and nowhere is this more present than in feeding children. The most basic biological instinct for parents is to feed their child. When this doesn’t go as expected it touches a deep primal instinct. Sometimes societal norms make parents feel better about their plight, but often they only make these feelings worse.
Nana couldn’t feed her child enough food by nursing him. She couldn't fulfill the most basic and most necessary need that babies have. What was she supposed to do? She was a mother when formula was not widely used. There weren't entire sections in the book store about child rearing, and the vast parent support network over the Internet was non-existent.
The answer she got from her doctor was simple and logical. He didn’t make her feel guilty for not being able to supply enough milk. This doctor gave her the tools to fulfill her instincts as a mother to feed her baby. She was not a failure because she couldn't provide enough food for her baby. She could—she was just going to do it in a different way than she expected. This doctor helped her comfort her son and stop his crying.
For this, she has forever been grateful. Even though the doctor passed away, she continues to send Christmas cards to his wife. When we drove past the building that used to be his office last weekend, she excitedly pointed it out as it came into sight.
When I visited Nana last weekend and she told us this story, I saw her glance over to my father-in-law. For a moment I could see that she wasn’t looking at a middle-aged man, but her baby. For a split second her memory took over and she remembered that baby in her arms, hungry and crying, the doctor who showed her the way to take care of him and what it felt like to soothe this baby that now sat next to her driving through the small town she once called home.
Sometimes we get annoyed when elderly people tell the same story over and over, but there’s a reason that this happens. We don’t always catch the meaning of these stories the first time we hear them.
Next time you hear that story from an older relative for what seems like the fiftieth time, give him or her your attention. Really listen and even though the words of the story may come out exactly as you predict, you may learn something about life that you will never forget.
My wife Diana’s Welsh Nana sometimes repeats stories. She's allowed to—she's over 80. I heard the one about the Carnation canned milk for the first time almost a decade ago, but it wasn’t until hearing it again last week that I realized why this moment had stayed with her after all of these years.
The story goes like this: My father-in-law Andy was a big, hungry baby. She tried to nurse him, but he just kept crying. So Nana went to the town doctor (this was a small enough town where there was only one doctor) and he instructed her to buy a can of Carnation milk, dilute it with water “half and half” and feed it to him. She proceeded to do this and it helped satiate his hunger. He stopped crying.
This story was the first thing she thought of when Diana told Nana she was pregnant, and Nana has told us this story almost every time we have seen her since. The first few times I heard this story, I didn’t understand why Nana seemed to get choked up every time she told it. So she gave her baby some canned milk, big deal. People do this ALL of the time now with formula.
Hearing this story again after becoming a dad, I realized that this story embodies some of the most powerful and undeniable emotions about being a parent.
The experience of being a parent is a mix of instinct, social expectations, and spirituality. These three things combine in almost every action and choice parents make and nowhere is this more present than in feeding children. The most basic biological instinct for parents is to feed their child. When this doesn’t go as expected it touches a deep primal instinct. Sometimes societal norms make parents feel better about their plight, but often they only make these feelings worse.
Nana couldn’t feed her child enough food by nursing him. She couldn't fulfill the most basic and most necessary need that babies have. What was she supposed to do? She was a mother when formula was not widely used. There weren't entire sections in the book store about child rearing, and the vast parent support network over the Internet was non-existent.
The answer she got from her doctor was simple and logical. He didn’t make her feel guilty for not being able to supply enough milk. This doctor gave her the tools to fulfill her instincts as a mother to feed her baby. She was not a failure because she couldn't provide enough food for her baby. She could—she was just going to do it in a different way than she expected. This doctor helped her comfort her son and stop his crying.
For this, she has forever been grateful. Even though the doctor passed away, she continues to send Christmas cards to his wife. When we drove past the building that used to be his office last weekend, she excitedly pointed it out as it came into sight.
When I visited Nana last weekend and she told us this story, I saw her glance over to my father-in-law. For a moment I could see that she wasn’t looking at a middle-aged man, but her baby. For a split second her memory took over and she remembered that baby in her arms, hungry and crying, the doctor who showed her the way to take care of him and what it felt like to soothe this baby that now sat next to her driving through the small town she once called home.
Sometimes we get annoyed when elderly people tell the same story over and over, but there’s a reason that this happens. We don’t always catch the meaning of these stories the first time we hear them.
Next time you hear that story from an older relative for what seems like the fiftieth time, give him or her your attention. Really listen and even though the words of the story may come out exactly as you predict, you may learn something about life that you will never forget.
Monday, August 19, 2013
We Can’t Stop by Miley Cyrus
We all should be proud of Miley.
“We Can’t Stop” is not on the same level of the pop masterpiece that “Party In The U.S.A.” (which I wrote about in this earlier post). But it’s an interesting song that demonstrates the spirit and strength of a young pop star as she struggles with challenges and double standards.
Much has been written about the drug references in this song and the sexuality and drug use Miley has expressed when promoting this song. The first reference is “dancing with Molly,” which apparently alludes to the drug ecstasy (which sometimes is referred to as “Molly.”) The second references is in the second verse, “tryina get a line in the bathroom” referring to cocaine.
Should we be annoyed/outraged that former child star that had a show on the Disney channel is not making drug references in her songs? First off her kids show was canceled almost two years ago, many of her fans from that era, have grown up. Yes, many of her fans from when she was younger are only teenagers and maybe they could do better without hearing drug references, but most will be fine.
Snoop Dogg was only one year older than Miley at the age of 21, when he broke out rapping about drugs in a far more explicit way. If you’re not a fan of Miley’s stripper reference and her sexuality, take a look at what Rihanna was doing when she was seventeen. Let’s not forget that Britney Spears was only seventeen when she asked us to “hit her one more time.”
Did generations of people who listened to these young artists sing sexually about drugs become deviants living in hedonistic sin? Look, I’m sure some people hear references in songs and get excited about them but most people make their choices regardless of what pop songs sing are about. Music is powerful, but it's not THAT powerful. Last time I checked, there's not legions of people running around dressed like Marilyn Manson.
“We Can’t Stop,” like Lesley Gore’s 1963 anthem “It’s My Party,” is a declaration of independence. The fact that this song ruffled feathers and got people concerned about Miley’s influence has more to do with people’s discomfort with seeing a woman try to assert herself as a adult.
No, Miley didn’t handle the “Molly,” reference perfectly in interviews well, but most artists in the her situation handle it in a similar way with a white lie and a smile. Really, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” is not about LSD? Really? Really?!?
Miley says that this song represents where she is in her life right now. Whether we like to admit it or not, many twenty year old woman are exploring alcohol, drugs, and their own sexuality. Yes, caution is important with these activities, but most people come out the other end of these times in their lives just fine.
If Rihanna performed this song would the controversy around the lyrics and the music video be as critical? What if a guy sang these lyrics? Chris Brown was singing far more explicit and concerning lyrics when he was younger than Miley.
"We Can't Stop," isn't about drugs. The line that holds the most meaning isn't a reference but a statement of belief: "Remember only God can judge you, Forget the haters cause somebody loves you."
Chill, this is a fun song. The way she sings "we like to party," sounds really weird and the opening "God" voice chant, is funny and like the music video is more silly than anything else. I'm proud of Miley for getting out there and reminding all of us that sometimes we just got to get out there and try something new we we can't stop.
“We Can’t Stop” is not on the same level of the pop masterpiece that “Party In The U.S.A.” (which I wrote about in this earlier post). But it’s an interesting song that demonstrates the spirit and strength of a young pop star as she struggles with challenges and double standards.
Much has been written about the drug references in this song and the sexuality and drug use Miley has expressed when promoting this song. The first reference is “dancing with Molly,” which apparently alludes to the drug ecstasy (which sometimes is referred to as “Molly.”) The second references is in the second verse, “tryina get a line in the bathroom” referring to cocaine.
Should we be annoyed/outraged that former child star that had a show on the Disney channel is not making drug references in her songs? First off her kids show was canceled almost two years ago, many of her fans from that era, have grown up. Yes, many of her fans from when she was younger are only teenagers and maybe they could do better without hearing drug references, but most will be fine.
Snoop Dogg was only one year older than Miley at the age of 21, when he broke out rapping about drugs in a far more explicit way. If you’re not a fan of Miley’s stripper reference and her sexuality, take a look at what Rihanna was doing when she was seventeen. Let’s not forget that Britney Spears was only seventeen when she asked us to “hit her one more time.”
Did generations of people who listened to these young artists sing sexually about drugs become deviants living in hedonistic sin? Look, I’m sure some people hear references in songs and get excited about them but most people make their choices regardless of what pop songs sing are about. Music is powerful, but it's not THAT powerful. Last time I checked, there's not legions of people running around dressed like Marilyn Manson.
“We Can’t Stop,” like Lesley Gore’s 1963 anthem “It’s My Party,” is a declaration of independence. The fact that this song ruffled feathers and got people concerned about Miley’s influence has more to do with people’s discomfort with seeing a woman try to assert herself as a adult.
No, Miley didn’t handle the “Molly,” reference perfectly in interviews well, but most artists in the her situation handle it in a similar way with a white lie and a smile. Really, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” is not about LSD? Really? Really?!?
Miley says that this song represents where she is in her life right now. Whether we like to admit it or not, many twenty year old woman are exploring alcohol, drugs, and their own sexuality. Yes, caution is important with these activities, but most people come out the other end of these times in their lives just fine.
If Rihanna performed this song would the controversy around the lyrics and the music video be as critical? What if a guy sang these lyrics? Chris Brown was singing far more explicit and concerning lyrics when he was younger than Miley.
"We Can't Stop," isn't about drugs. The line that holds the most meaning isn't a reference but a statement of belief: "Remember only God can judge you, Forget the haters cause somebody loves you."
Chill, this is a fun song. The way she sings "we like to party," sounds really weird and the opening "God" voice chant, is funny and like the music video is more silly than anything else. I'm proud of Miley for getting out there and reminding all of us that sometimes we just got to get out there and try something new we we can't stop.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Parenthood: Week 12 – Elderly Nuns & Ollie
Me: Uh . . . mom, whose baby are you holding?At almost ever major family occasion, wedding, funeral, baby shower, my mom always seems to end up with a baby in her arms. And sometimes she doesn't she can't even identify who the baby belongs to. She's been doing this ever since I can remember. My mom really likes holding babies and so do I.
My mom: [smiling] I don't know!
I still remember the first time that I held a baby. It was jarring, a little uncomfortable but also really special at the same time, but nothing is like holding a baby. Everyone's yearly bucket list should have "hold a baby" on it.
As much as I value the experience of holding a baby, I don't want everyone and their mom to hold Ollie. So I’ve made a rule that unless this is a person that Ollie would choose to hug later in life, I will not let that person hold Ollie.
Today, I broke that rule.
When my wife was a kid, there were two nuns who lived in the neighborhood who babysat Diana and her two brothers. They watched Diana and her brothers grow up and formed a bond with the entire family. These nuns have continued to be a part of Diana’s family like when they said grace during our wedding.
One of the nuns met us for lunch and then we went to a nursing home to visit the other nun. Was I okay with them holding Ollie? Initially I was a little apprehensive. But I decided to make an exception.
The average age of these nuns was 90 years old. Ollie may not have a connection to them , but they have a connection to my wife and her family and that felt like enough.
Ollie has an amazing effect on people. I witnessed tears well up in family members' eyes when they first held Ollie. That made sense to me and seemed natural. But watching people like these nuns hold Ollie who aren’t as closely connected was just as amazing in a different way.
Babies do something amazing to elderly people. I don’t quite get it and I don’t know what it is. I saw so much more than that in the faces of these nuns when they held Ollie. Yes, it was because they remembered Diana as a child, but I think even if Ollie had no personal connection, there would still be a powerful effect.
As we were leaving they thanked us over and over for bringing Ollie. I’m glad we did. I get nervous that elderly people will drop Ollie or that by visiting a place like a nursing home, he will get sick, but my fears were put aside today as I watched Ollie interact with these two remarkable woman.
One day, a long time down the road when Ollie is having a George Bailey moment and he thinks that he’s not important and that he doesn’t matter, I’ll tell him the story about how he lifted the spirits of two elderly nuns and made their world a little brighter. I’ll tell him how simply his presence and his spirit at such a young age touched people and changed their lives. And I’ll tell him that that same spirit is still strong within him and he makes the world a better place by being himself.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
The War Over Childbirth
Note: I wrote this post about halfway through my wife's pregnancy. Our son Ollie is now 11 weeks old and is doing great. I saved this post for me to reconsider after Ollie was born and I feel as strong right now about my thoughts expressed here as I did when I first wrote this post.
There’s a war brewing.
It’s a battle backed by good intentions waged in documentaries, on the Internet, in books and in classes. It’s a war that men for the most part stay out of but are inevitably effected by whether they know it or not. It all boils down to one simply question: what is the best way to take care of your baby?
The prominent conflicts are:
When I watch this trailer I get angry. Here’s why.
The film makes the argument that the medical profession’s approach to childbirth is not in the best interest of the mothers and the babies. The use of drugs and the pervasiveness of Cesarean sections is a symptom of a profit driven industry. The alternative is birth centers, home births and the use of mid-wives to provide a healthier and more meaningful experience for the mother and the child.
This is the argument that this films makes, it’s fairly one-sided which is fine. As a film presenting issues that no one seems to be talking about, taking a more extreme point of view is appropriate to get the conversation started.
What makes me angry and uncomfortable is the idea that a woman who chooses not to have a home-birth, has a Caesarean section or utilizes narcotics is an inferior mother and a weaker woman. This implication is so upsetting because it implies that woman have complete control over the circumstances of the birth of their children.
There are woman who do everything right and plan to have a home-birth who end up having a Caesarian section and there are also woman who make every effort to get through birth without narcotics but just can’t take the pain. It’s not these women’s fault that they couldn’t follow through with their birth plan.
They didn’t do anything wrong.
The best advice that I’ve heard about childbirth is to learn how to control what you can control and also learn to let go of things that you can’t control. You can do your pre-natal yoga, eat a perfect diet, and do all the things that you can imagine to make your birth plan happen but at some point things may happen that you can’t control, and that’s okay.
I refuse to believe that mothers who don’t have a natural childbirth experience with their children don’t have as close bonds with their children (which is an argument that is made at the end of The Business Of Being Born). I’ve witnessed incredible bonds of love and family between parents and their adopted children and to diminish this bond because they didn’t share a natural childbirth experience is absurd and insulting.
The other thing that I have difficulty with is the argument that the medical field doesn’t have the mother’s best interest in mind. I’m sure there are morally corrupt doctors and hospitals but there are also some amazing doctors like ones who are in my family, who are 100% focused on their patients needs and their health.
I’m not trying to make an argument either way on home births, the use of narcotics, or Caesarean Sections. What I’m saying is that woman need to be thoughtful, consider the different sides of these arguments and make an educated decisions about this process. The conversation about childbirth is a great discussion that our society needs to have and I’m grateful that The Business Of Being Born got this debate going. Neither side has this thing down and they both have a lot to learn from each other.
The problem is that instead of accepting a plurality of ideas as being valid the different sides of these arguments are battling each other. This leads people to make judgments on other people and individuals, questioning the validity of their childbirth experience because of circumstances completely outside of their control.
As a husband and my wife’s best friend, I am very worried of the childbirth process. I’m doing everything I can to prepare myself for this event, but it’s hard because I know that there is so much outside of my control. My wife jokes that I’m a boy scout because I often pack things to be prepared for a variety of situations. However I’ve realized that I simply can’t prepare myself for all of the things that could go wrong and all of the beautiful things that hopefully will go right as my son enters the world.
I fear that my wife’s childbirth experience will be judged by others and that Diana will have to answer for the choices she has made to others who disagree with her. On some level, it’s already happening as people are already asking her about her birth plan.
So to quell my concerns I've told her this sentiment multiple times:
There’s a war brewing.
It’s a battle backed by good intentions waged in documentaries, on the Internet, in books and in classes. It’s a war that men for the most part stay out of but are inevitably effected by whether they know it or not. It all boils down to one simply question: what is the best way to take care of your baby?
The prominent conflicts are:
- Vaginal childbirth vs. Cesarean section
- Natural childbirth vs. birth with narcotics or an epidural
When I watch this trailer I get angry. Here’s why.
The film makes the argument that the medical profession’s approach to childbirth is not in the best interest of the mothers and the babies. The use of drugs and the pervasiveness of Cesarean sections is a symptom of a profit driven industry. The alternative is birth centers, home births and the use of mid-wives to provide a healthier and more meaningful experience for the mother and the child.
This is the argument that this films makes, it’s fairly one-sided which is fine. As a film presenting issues that no one seems to be talking about, taking a more extreme point of view is appropriate to get the conversation started.
What makes me angry and uncomfortable is the idea that a woman who chooses not to have a home-birth, has a Caesarean section or utilizes narcotics is an inferior mother and a weaker woman. This implication is so upsetting because it implies that woman have complete control over the circumstances of the birth of their children.
There are woman who do everything right and plan to have a home-birth who end up having a Caesarian section and there are also woman who make every effort to get through birth without narcotics but just can’t take the pain. It’s not these women’s fault that they couldn’t follow through with their birth plan.
They didn’t do anything wrong.
The best advice that I’ve heard about childbirth is to learn how to control what you can control and also learn to let go of things that you can’t control. You can do your pre-natal yoga, eat a perfect diet, and do all the things that you can imagine to make your birth plan happen but at some point things may happen that you can’t control, and that’s okay.
I refuse to believe that mothers who don’t have a natural childbirth experience with their children don’t have as close bonds with their children (which is an argument that is made at the end of The Business Of Being Born). I’ve witnessed incredible bonds of love and family between parents and their adopted children and to diminish this bond because they didn’t share a natural childbirth experience is absurd and insulting.
The other thing that I have difficulty with is the argument that the medical field doesn’t have the mother’s best interest in mind. I’m sure there are morally corrupt doctors and hospitals but there are also some amazing doctors like ones who are in my family, who are 100% focused on their patients needs and their health.
I’m not trying to make an argument either way on home births, the use of narcotics, or Caesarean Sections. What I’m saying is that woman need to be thoughtful, consider the different sides of these arguments and make an educated decisions about this process. The conversation about childbirth is a great discussion that our society needs to have and I’m grateful that The Business Of Being Born got this debate going. Neither side has this thing down and they both have a lot to learn from each other.
The problem is that instead of accepting a plurality of ideas as being valid the different sides of these arguments are battling each other. This leads people to make judgments on other people and individuals, questioning the validity of their childbirth experience because of circumstances completely outside of their control.
As a husband and my wife’s best friend, I am very worried of the childbirth process. I’m doing everything I can to prepare myself for this event, but it’s hard because I know that there is so much outside of my control. My wife jokes that I’m a boy scout because I often pack things to be prepared for a variety of situations. However I’ve realized that I simply can’t prepare myself for all of the things that could go wrong and all of the beautiful things that hopefully will go right as my son enters the world.
I fear that my wife’s childbirth experience will be judged by others and that Diana will have to answer for the choices she has made to others who disagree with her. On some level, it’s already happening as people are already asking her about her birth plan.
So to quell my concerns I've told her this sentiment multiple times:
I love you and I'm so proud of the mother that you have been throughout this pregnancy. I know that I will be so incredibly proud of you whatever path we take as our child enters our world. Nothing can change that. Before you know it we will have a beautiful baby boy in our arms and while we don't know exactly how he will come to us, I will be proud of every step we take on that path togehter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)