Five Things Every Soon-To-Be Parent Should Know

This is a fantastic guest post from Brad Marley—it’s funny helpful, and you can tell he’s been paying attention. Brad is a technology PR professional in the suburbs of Detroit. When he’s not getting his PR on in his cubicle, he likes to golf and watch the Detroit Tigers. He’s currently trying to get his two-year-old to watch a full inning with him.

I couldn’t help but notice that Carlos is fretting over the imminent arrival of his first newborn. So I decided I would offer to try and ease his fears about soon being the sole caretaker of a tiny human being that will depend on him for everything, by sharing how his life will change when el niño arrives.

And, of course, by “ease his fears” I mean “feed his terror.”

After all, I’m also a father.

Here are five things that you can expect:

No More Sleeping In I was never a morning person. But that quickly changed when my first daughter arrived and started waking up at 6:30 on Saturday mornings. Who knew TBS plays back-to-back-to-back-to-back episodes of Saved By The Bell this early?
Jealous Of Friends With No Children Remember those spur-of-the-moment trips to the movies? The unplanned weekend getaways with your wife? Forget them. You have to put them on hold until the kid goes away to college, or gets pissed off at you for cramping their style and moves out at 16. Whichever comes first. For now, live vicariously through the friends who still have a life.
Hours Between Their Bedtime and Your Bedtime Are Gold I have never been so fiercely protective of a two-hour window than I am of the one between the time my kids go to bed and when I go to bed. Do not call or text me after 8. I will be relaxing on the couch.
You Will Begin To Understand How You Drove Your Parents Crazy My two-year-old loves to sleep in. When I have a difficult time rousing her in the morning, I flashback to my Mom yelling at me to get out of bed because it was noon. I used to hate it when she did that. But now I understand. Sorry, Mom.
Getting Finances In Order Might Finally Take Precedent My wife and I were by no means standing on the edge of a financial sinkhole when our first baby arrived. But we realized that if we didn’t want college and other expenses to take us by surprise down the road, we should get our financial house in order. It still isn’t perfect, but having set up ROTH IRA’s and 529′s now will only lessen the financial stress down the road. And the little peanut lying in the crib was the impetus.

Of course, I love my kids. But there is no doubt that life changes completely when they arrive. But the only way to really understand what I’m saying is to, well, have them.

And, sometimes, the only way to cope with the responsibility of having them is to plant your tongue firmly in your cheek and write about it.

I hope this guide helps all soon-to-be parents out there.

This post was included in the Carnival of Money Stories over at The Financial Blogger.