Gratitude
I am feeling very thankful for my life, today.
I am grateful that this pregnancy was planned and wanted, and that we were able to conceive after only six months of trying.
I am grateful that both bratling and I are excited about the coming baby, and feeling positive about the change coming to our lives.
I am grateful that both of us come from functional families, with parents who have maintained basically healthy marriages to this day.
I am grateful for the support of my friends and family members, and for the many and varied examples of parenting that we can find among them.
I am grateful that my pregnancy has been easy so far, and that my baby seems healthy and vigorous.
I am grateful for healthcare, and for the opportunity to choose the type of care I will receive.
I am grateful that we are financially stable enough to afford, if with difficulty, for me to stay home with the baby for the first year.
...
I've been reading When Partners Become Parents today. It's a sobering read, but also a useful one. I am keenly aware that the first years of parenting are hard times for many couples, and it scares me a little. I know that even partners who ultimately thrive in parenthood face real challenges in getting through the transition, and I worry about how we will handle those challenges. I am deeply frightened of the isolation that can come to stay-at-home parents, and I'm not sure how I can ease it.
But as I read the early chapters of this book, I am also reminded of what extra challenges we don't face--unresolved ambivalence about parenthood, unplanned pregnancy, tumultuous family histories, true financial hardship, and so much more. That realization bolsters my hopefulness, and leaves me feeling very thankful for the life that I am living.
I am grateful that this pregnancy was planned and wanted, and that we were able to conceive after only six months of trying.
I am grateful that both bratling and I are excited about the coming baby, and feeling positive about the change coming to our lives.
I am grateful that both of us come from functional families, with parents who have maintained basically healthy marriages to this day.
I am grateful for the support of my friends and family members, and for the many and varied examples of parenting that we can find among them.
I am grateful that my pregnancy has been easy so far, and that my baby seems healthy and vigorous.
I am grateful for healthcare, and for the opportunity to choose the type of care I will receive.
I am grateful that we are financially stable enough to afford, if with difficulty, for me to stay home with the baby for the first year.
...
I've been reading When Partners Become Parents today. It's a sobering read, but also a useful one. I am keenly aware that the first years of parenting are hard times for many couples, and it scares me a little. I know that even partners who ultimately thrive in parenthood face real challenges in getting through the transition, and I worry about how we will handle those challenges. I am deeply frightened of the isolation that can come to stay-at-home parents, and I'm not sure how I can ease it.
But as I read the early chapters of this book, I am also reminded of what extra challenges we don't face--unresolved ambivalence about parenthood, unplanned pregnancy, tumultuous family histories, true financial hardship, and so much more. That realization bolsters my hopefulness, and leaves me feeling very thankful for the life that I am living.