How New Parenthood Is Slowly Making Me Crazy

There's an old African proverb that says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” So true.

That's why I'm excited to contribute to the Wishing Well, a community of authors, bloggers, musicians, moms, dads, and medical professionals all talking about the trials and triumphs of raising a child.

As both a new dad and writer, it's fun to read and share stories of this wild ride called parenthood.

This is a conversation facilitated by the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt here in Nashville and something I'm doing on a quarterly basis.

I'll post excerpts here, but if you're interested in following along more closely, I suggest you check out their website and subscribe to the new posts.

This first piece I wrote is about the craziness of being a new parent, which isn't, I'm learning, an altogether bad thing.

Musings on new parenthood

Without further ado, here's an excerpt from the piece:

I caught my wife rocking in place the other day — for no apparent reason.

Often, I find myself habitually humming lullabies without realizing it. Everywhere I turn, there are receiving blankets. We now own more plush toys than I ever would have imagined.

Yes, we are new parents. And yes, we’re a little crazy. But so are most new mommies and daddies, I’ve learned.

Read the rest here: New Parenthood Musings

More on being a (crazy) dad

The question I most often hear as a new dad is, “Do you just LOVE being a dad?!”

Um, well, yes… if I'm awake for it. Truth is it's good, but not always easy. And I had no idea how much lack of sleep would wear me down emotionally, physically, even spiritually.

I have a newfound empathy for those “crazy parents” I used to see at the grocery store or out walking the dog. They were droopy-eyed and disheveled and a little unnerved.

Now, I realize: I am that crazy parent. I'm the guy who doesn't shower for days or says crazy things in the middle of the night — out of sheer exhaustion.

I'm the guy who gets lullabies stuck in his head and can't help but want to sway in public — without even noticing it.

And frankly, I'm okay with all of that. Because one look at this little guy makes it all worth it.