Why seek out new life, when you can create it from the comfort of your own home?

I’ve been thinking about a list of things that I want to do as a parent, taken as either advice from other parents, or in observing them. So here’s my list.

• Don’t worry about remote possibilities. — Many parents often get very worried about things that are very unlikely, and I don’t want to be one of them. If “something bad” has only a 1% chance or less of happening, I’m not going to worry about it.
• The baby won’t break if I touch it. — Too many new parents are scared that they are going to break their baby, but after watching the nurses at Winnie Palmer, I have no fear of that. As long as their heads are supported, you can pretty much flop them around as much as needed.
• Take time to be an adult. — I know that we are not going to want to spend time away from our our child, but once we have a schedule down, we need to start letting the grandparents watch the baby while Bionca and I go off and just be us for a little while. It’s easy to lose yourself in your role as a parent.
• Don’t try to be a perfect parent. — It’s impossible, and most kids come out just fine despite the occasional screw up by their folks.
• Start early, and be consistent. — Children learn patterns of behavior early on, and especially when they are very young, they need structure and consistency in their lives. Set the proper patterns early, and stick to them.
• Take pictures. — I don’t take near enough. Maybe set a goal of at least one a day.

I’m sure that I will think of more, but I think that is a good start. It will be fun to look back on this is a few years, and see how well I have done, and if/how my attitudes have changed.