Getting Time

Everyone always tells you that having a kid will change your life. What nobody ever told me is that not only do you have this huge sense of responsibility and commitment to this helpless little person that you got to name, but you also completely surrender your right to make spontaneous decisions.

Krista and I haven't been in a small group for a while now. Our old one fell apart, people moved and simply didn't have time for it anymore. It's been on our list to get back in one and with the lack of sleep and everything else in life we simply haven't made time for it. Today at church I had a friend ask if Krista and I wanted to join their group and my initial reaction was 'absolutely.'

Moments later all the potential questions flooded my mind. What night of the week is it? Wednesday - great! I don't have class on Wednesdays....this semester. Can I honestly commit to a small group and then potentially have a class next semester and miss group for four months? I don't know. What time is the group? 7:30 - great! Plenty of time to get home from work and eat before we go there. But wait - Will goes to bed around 7:00 right now. We could just let him crash in the car seat while we meet or we could get a babysitter. But what if he has a tough time sleeping? Do I sacrifice Krista's night-time sleep with a fussy baby before a long day of work for her? Can we afford a babysitter every week for the foreseeable future?

These problems and questions are addressable and I hope we will decide to join the group but the simple quantity of questions that have to be answered is daunting and is proving to be frustrating at times. As Will gets older I guess this will get easier and as we get used to scheduling babysitters and time with people we'll adapt but what a shock to my/our system and schedules.

So what's the point of writing this? Simply to share my experience to you - our friends and family that may be considering kids in the near future. The change to your life and what you do is so drastic that no one can tell you honestly what to expect, except to say that it's huge. It's huge but it's worth it. I wouldn't trade the experiences and the joy that I get from Will for anything.