So I went to visit my nephew Théo over the weekend, and I have to say, he’s pretty much the cutest baby I’ve ever seen in person. Of course I'm a little biased because of the close family connection, but seriously, this baby is objectively adorable. Not that it's a competition or anything, but he would totally win against everyone (except Zoe, Georgia, Henry, Lola, and all the other friend / family babies, who would obviously tie perfectly evenly).
Think that's an ad beside this paragraph? It's not. That's my nephew. Théodore.
There is one thing, though. He seems to be a little, uh, on the cranky side. We're constantly getting emails with pictures like the one featured here, and so I naturally assume he is the most relaxed, smiley, chilling little baby you've ever seen. In person, he's a little more... exhausting. I love him to pieces and so do his parents, but I'm learning that a baby, beautiful or not, looks like a ton of work. Like, more than you can handle no matter how hard you try. Like... a lot.
Somehow, stupidly, I thought my wife and I would be able to buck the trend. I secretly thought we'd be the parents who would find tons of time to do our art, pursue our whimsical interests, and trot across the globe like it wasn't nobody's business. But Théo's parents are smart. Way smarter than me. And they're tired. I'm honestly feeling a little freaked out right now. When they say that every second of every day is taken up with your baby, they're not just overstating it for effect. It's the cold, hard facts.
So where did I get this image of the jet-setting, urbane, style-god, time-laden parents from? I'm going to cry marketers on this one. If you're trying to sell a product to exhausted parents, naturally you don't want it to look like it's going to make your baby miserable. So you chose the happiest, healthiest little one you can find, and you put him or her in front of the product, and it sells itself. Ad magic. The thing is, like a lot of ads, this strategy might make you think you're doing something wrong when you compare it to the reality of your own life. You're not. The reality is that while there's a ton of love and care involved with raising a little one, there's also a ton of crankiness and exhaustion on all sides. There's a deep love, but on the surface it can sound like "GAAAAH! Why did I make you?"
Théo's picture looks like an ad for "have babies", but buyers beware. Babies come with a lot of strings attached. You're supposed to always follow that line up with "it's worth it", but I'm not going to say that. The fact is that life is much more complicated than a simple catch-phrase or two can handle. Saying something's "worth it" reduces complexity to an economic exchange, and having a baby is so much more than simple economics. I think "life prevails" might be a more accurate way of describing what I saw this weekend. We'll go with that for now. Our little one's life is in the process of unfolding and prevailing, and while I now know I can kiss my time goodbye for the next few years, I can always remind myself that my own life has prevailed its own unique and interesting way, and I wouldn't exchange it for anything.
Think that's an ad beside this paragraph? It's not. That's my nephew. Théodore.
There is one thing, though. He seems to be a little, uh, on the cranky side. We're constantly getting emails with pictures like the one featured here, and so I naturally assume he is the most relaxed, smiley, chilling little baby you've ever seen. In person, he's a little more... exhausting. I love him to pieces and so do his parents, but I'm learning that a baby, beautiful or not, looks like a ton of work. Like, more than you can handle no matter how hard you try. Like... a lot.
Somehow, stupidly, I thought my wife and I would be able to buck the trend. I secretly thought we'd be the parents who would find tons of time to do our art, pursue our whimsical interests, and trot across the globe like it wasn't nobody's business. But Théo's parents are smart. Way smarter than me. And they're tired. I'm honestly feeling a little freaked out right now. When they say that every second of every day is taken up with your baby, they're not just overstating it for effect. It's the cold, hard facts.
So where did I get this image of the jet-setting, urbane, style-god, time-laden parents from? I'm going to cry marketers on this one. If you're trying to sell a product to exhausted parents, naturally you don't want it to look like it's going to make your baby miserable. So you chose the happiest, healthiest little one you can find, and you put him or her in front of the product, and it sells itself. Ad magic. The thing is, like a lot of ads, this strategy might make you think you're doing something wrong when you compare it to the reality of your own life. You're not. The reality is that while there's a ton of love and care involved with raising a little one, there's also a ton of crankiness and exhaustion on all sides. There's a deep love, but on the surface it can sound like "GAAAAH! Why did I make you?"
Théo's picture looks like an ad for "have babies", but buyers beware. Babies come with a lot of strings attached. You're supposed to always follow that line up with "it's worth it", but I'm not going to say that. The fact is that life is much more complicated than a simple catch-phrase or two can handle. Saying something's "worth it" reduces complexity to an economic exchange, and having a baby is so much more than simple economics. I think "life prevails" might be a more accurate way of describing what I saw this weekend. We'll go with that for now. Our little one's life is in the process of unfolding and prevailing, and while I now know I can kiss my time goodbye for the next few years, I can always remind myself that my own life has prevailed its own unique and interesting way, and I wouldn't exchange it for anything.
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