Diving In.

We went to a great party this weekend. The kids came too.
The one year old was an angel. She went to sleep in a strange bedroom in a strange house about 20 minutes after we arrived and slept through the night despite raucous behavior below her.
The six year old ran with a pack of girls for several hours with a look of disbelief (that she was getting to stay up so late) and joy (that I wasn't stopping her from doing all the things they were doing) on her face.
It was very nostalgic to remember those rare nights in my childhood when that happened and it was so magical.

We got talking to a younger couple who were thinking about starting a family. They asked that great unanswerable question - "How do you know if you're ready?"
Me being me, answered it anyway.
My first response is always, "Have you traveled?" I think you should take a least one great, adventurous trip together before you add children. They had.
We chatted away about what changes, loss of sleep, stress on your relationship, the unimaginable joy and love, the laughter.

Then they asked the next great unanswerable question.
"What can we do to prepare?"
The true answer is - you can't - but me being me, I had a go anyway. (There was wine involved.)

"You could set your alarm for an hour and half earlier than you need (or want) to get up.
In that extra hour and a half - you can't go pee, make yourself coffee or anything to eat.
You should instead cut grapes into quarters. Peel and dice apples and do two loads of laundry. Throw the fruit pieces all over the floor and then clean them up.
Then you should make yourself a cup of coffee but leave it to go cold on the kitchen counter. If you are particularly sleepy or grumpy add some kids music or TV at LOUD volume.
That should take you through to 7.30 am....."

Perhaps I went too far but you know how I feel about myth. How do you convey what it's really like? For example between the last two sentences, I changed a diaper that not only necessitated a change of the baby's clothes but a change of mine and the change pad cover. All the clothes are now soaking in the sink and the diaper was so toxic I had to walk it to the outside garbage can, All that between the words myth and how. You would never have known.

I'm betting that sweet couple have decided to wait a little longer but I say jump on in the water is fine.