I wish I'd seen this thread earlier... I spent most of this morning reading through this entire thread and it's a great read. Makes you feel like you are not alone in the world of parenting.
I am a father of three boys, ages 18, 13 and 10 weeks.
The 18 and 13 year old are my step-children and I have been with them for 11 years now so it's like they are my kids anyway.
Last year at the age of 37 I finally became a daddy to a newborn son on October 23rd. I've never experienced the newborn stage so this is an eye opening experience for me.
I've come to the conclusion that taking care of a newborn has got to be like taking care of astronauts. Just getting them into the vehicle alone takes FOREVER with all of the straps and buckles. Everything is so time consuming it's funny. I love every bit of it and am having a blast.
My wife is not good about documenting things so I decided to blog about the pregnancy for friends and family with weekly updates on what happens, how we feel and stuff like that. I have carried that over to blog the first year of my sons life and what we go through on a weekly basis with him and I'm glad I've done it. It's great to go back and read some of the things I was feeling before he was born.
My 18 year old son is in college and doing great. He is the "quiet one" and is really close to him mother. The 13 year old is an ADHD kid that takes after me. We are best friends and have a blast together no matter what we are doing. Living with ADHD is a pain when it comes to school and how we handle his grades which are terrible. He's a smart kid, just can't get his work done.
Anywya, just wanted to get my introduction to the parent group outta the way.