Ten Things I Think I Think About Parenting - The First Month

Author

Austin Lee
July 24, 2023

Hello Friends and Family,

I used to follow the NFL closely and one of the writers I enjoyed reading the most was Peter King. He used to write a weekly column for Sports Illustrated called “Monday Morning Quarterback” or “MMQB” for short.

My favorite segment of the column each week was entitled: “Ten Things I Think I Think. In this column Peter would fire off ten reactions to the news of the week from the NFL.

This gave him an opportunity to put some initial thoughts down about something happening in real time, but without the pressure of needing to be right.

Here is Peter’s wrong take on who is a better QB from 12/18/2017

Here is Peter’s absolutely correct take on the Chargers moving to Los Angeles from 2/15/2011

So, with absolutely no apologies for ripping off this amazing idea…

Ten Things I Think I Think about Parenting after One Month

  1. The many warnings about being sleep deprived were completely unfounded. We are getting less sleep than before Mills was born, but we aren’t walking zombies.

  2. Formula is completely overpriced and the manufacturers are definitely colluding to keep reasonably priced competitors out.

  3. Life does, in fact, change dramatically after becoming a parent. We were told this repeatedly and it’s true. However, this was communicated to us in a way that made it sound like a bad thing. It isn’t. We love how our live has been disrupted.

    I’m happy to have my life completely changed by this guy…wouldn’t you?

Mills in his One Month Photo. - Atlanta, GA 06/22/2023

  1. People who say “just wait until….” to new parents who are expressing difficulty with an aspect of parenting should be jailed. Please don’t minimize someone else’s struggles.

  2. The health insurance system in the United States is terrible. Burn it all to the ground and start over. I find myself wondering why I pay insurance premiums when I still fork over thousands of dollars when I need healthcare.

  3. Keeping the house neat and tidy is absolutely do-able. Sorry to everyone who told us we were dreaming when we said we weren’t going to have stuff everywhere.

  4. Watching my son turn blue from a respiratory issue is the most scared I have ever been in my life and it isn’t even close. Spending the first 4 days of parenthood in the NICU was one of the most stressful periods of my entire life.

Mills in the NICU. - Roswell, GA 6/23/2023

  1. The United States does a poor job of supporting families after they have a baby. Babies are expensive, babies are time consuming, and babies are totally dependent on us.

    All parents should have paid leave no matter their occupation.

  2. Courtney is the strongest woman I know. 24 hours of labor with no medication. Incredible.

  3. We have the best friends in the world. So many people have brought food, sent gift cards, and helped us navigate the NICU and a food allergy.

    We are truly blessed.

Until our next adventure,

Austin, Courtney, Mills, and Willow

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