My parents would tell my relatives that it was my choice and it would happen when I was ready. My relatives thought that I would give Rajesh Hamal Dai a run for his money. But our Kollywood superstar got married and made it harder for all of us who were not eager to get married even though most of our high school friends were now bald-headed beer-bellied Dads. Nothing wrong with the receding hairline but beer belly can be avoided.
Now I am happily married for over a year now and the question has evolved to 'So, when are you having a baby?'. It really doesn't help when my cousins and friends who got married at the same time as I are now telling the whole world that they are having babies soon. Two of my classmates who are members of the 2013 Wedding Batch are expecting this June. I think I will once again have to use the Rajesh Hamal Law. When our superstar has a baby, then I will also plan for mine.
I don't think that my wife and I are under pressure to introduce our mini me as soon as possible. My wife and I have not planned it out yet. Yes, we do want a baby in the future but we are not in a hurry like my friends and cousins. I think as parents, we will need to be prepared to give the baby the best love and care possible.
I think the 9-month process gives parents some time to be prepared. After all, you need to buy new clothes, strollers, cots and baby foods. Some of us are fortunate to have our parents help to take care of the baby. Grandmothers especially know all the stuffs even though it may seem old school to some of us.
Babies are cute, especially the ones who are in their first year. When terrible two hits, the same babies are wild and throw more tantrums than Hollywood stars. Most babies cry all night because they want to let their parents know that since they brought him or her to this world, they better face the music and deal with it.
Today, parents complain about how hard it is to take care of a baby. Some of my friends who are new Dads tell me that they haven't slept much since the baby arrived. I think it would not be a problem for those who suffer from insomnia. You can stay awake all night and keep the baby company. I guess being a parent will help you to learn how to take quick naps or schedule your sleep cycle with that of the baby.
Most parents nowadays are fine with just one or two kids. We look at our grannies and wonder how they managed to give birth to so many kids and still managed to keep them in line and keep the household running. And they didn't have Google then to read or learn about so many parenting techniques. But today's mothers will do just fine. After all, they have inherited the 'Super Mom' genes from their mothers.
One day, the baby will be here. Then we will have to name the baby. Years ago, I had heard that someone had named their kid King Kong in Pokhara. Well, some of the parents have named their kids after countries and political leaders but naming a kid after a fictional giant gorilla is not right. I hope it was just a rumor.
I think it is much easier to learn how to build a nuclear reactor in your backyard with the help of Google than deciding on the name of your kid to make everyone happy. I still have the guest list for my wedding party on my laptop and those who attended would be sent a 'Name my Kid' list. I and my wife will come up with the top 10 names and then send them out to put them for vote. But doing anything through a majority process is now frowned upon and consensus is the way to go.
It might even take years before all of us agree on the name. By then, the kid will probably be a teenager and maybe he or she can then decide to name him or herself. Let's pray that they won't name themselves after the most scandalous pop artist of the day, then.
kalumaila99@gmail.com
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