Fatherhood

Since being recently inducted into the not so exclusive club of fatherhood, I have been barfed on, peed on, screamed at, and on more than one occasion had my body parts pulled in ways that they were not designed to accomidate. And the strange part is I love it. Everyone tells you that being a parent will be a grueling, scary experience, and that no matter what you think, you will have no fucking clue what you are doing. And that may be true, certainly I worry whether I am doing the right thing when I let her listen to rock music and dread the day when she brings her first boyfriend home. But it seems like all of that worry is nothing compared to the joy that raising a child brings you. It's strange how once the child is yours, you actually enjoy doing all of the things that you would hate doing with someone else's child. Changing diapers isn't bad, because the whole time she will be squirming around making funny faces at you, and it seems like you can't keep from laughing. Getting barfed on isn't really that bad either because of the hilarious expression on her face when she's done. Even getting woken up in the middle of the night isn't bad, as it gives you an excuse to take her out of her crib and bring her into bed to comfort her.
Another thing that seems strange about having a child is how you begin to notice kids everywhere. You begin watching their movements and behavior. Guessing thier ages. Trying to see the traits their parents passed on to them. This is not something I ever used to do.