Reflecting On My Childhood While Expecting a Child

            My wife and I are expecting the arrival of a baby boy in the next few months. This is our first child. This life-changing event has caused me to reflect on life. I am flooded with many contradicting emotions. Feelings of excitement, fear, joy, inadequacy, and many other emotions all seem to be playing ring-around-the-rosy inside me. While I am told that this is natural it still causes me to think.

            One thing that this wonderful bundle of joy has caused me to mull over is my own childhood. I had a great childhood. I was the third born of four children and the only boy. Yes, I was the only boy. While there are many stories to be told about playing house and bringing my GI Joes to afternoon tea with my sisters and all of their Barbie dolls, I will save those for another time.

            What I would like dive into in more depth about my childhood are my parents. They weren't perfect, but I honestly feel that my parents were perfect for me. I have learned a lot from them and have realized that a lot of who I am is thanks to their great examples and influence.

            My mother is a very talented person with a thirst for knowledge. One of her jobs was working in a library. She has a fix it attitude. To this day she always seems to ask herself, “how is that made,” or “ how did they do that?” She has helped make many repairs around the house. I remember her telling me as a child when referring to electrical or plumbing repair, “Why pay someone to do it when you can do it yourself?” She then would teach herself how to fix it. She did that with many things. That is one of the many qualities that I love about my mother, always willing to learn and take on new challenges. I feel like I have inherited a similar curiosity to learn and then do.

            My father is a wonderful man with a strong desire to help others. As a kid, I remember being my dad’s little right hand man. My dad has a gift of knowing when others are in need. Many times I would help anonymously deliver groceries or some other goodies to a struggling family in the neighborhood. During the winter it was not uncommon for him to wake me up early in the morning to go help shovel snow for the elderly neighbors. This is one of the many qualities that I love about my father, always aware of others. I feel like I have inherited a similar desire to help those around me.

            Both of my parents have helped set a wonderful example. I am the person that I am today because of them.  I hope that I too can set a positive example to my own children. I am excited and nervous for what’s to come. Hopefully, someday my son will be writing about what he learned from his parents. We will just have to wait and see. Wish me luck.