We were taking a family road trip and I saw a listing in the road guide for a point of interest. Waycross, GA. - home of the famous mummified dog in a tree. It was only slightly out of the way and we probably would not be traveling through again. I could see my wife was not too enthusiastic but my brother was driving and I knew that I could convince him. Besides this side trip could make up for our disappointment when we drove to see the world's largest thermometer in Baker, CA. An unusually large wind had blown it down shortly before we came to visit.
My wife gave me a look I would later recognize as the too tired to argue with the kids look. I prevailed, and we drove to see the dog. Unfortunately the mummified dog museum was closed. And to this day we have never made it back.
Unless you plan to have 13 children you may not have many opportunities to be present at a birth. So don't miss out.
I was looking through all of my photos that I took of my children. It's quite remarkable, there's not a single bad or even average picture in the bunch. They're all wonderful.
I suspect that everybody's photograph collection becomes a great work of art when the subject is their children. Be sure when your child is born that someone is there to witness that your child is a work of art too.
My mother in law is a big weather channel fan and weather nut in general. I figured that when I married into that family it would be something I would have to put up with. Growing up in Southern California, I never really cared much about the weather report. Listening to the report seemed pointless since there was nothing I could do to change the weather anyway. If it was hot outside I wore short sleeves; cold outside, long sleeves; smoggy, I held my breath.
Then I moved to Florida with its hurricanes. Now it became useful to have some advance information about where the trees would be falling, windows breaking and floods flooding. I had my hurricane plotting charts and barometer along with the battery operated radio to keep me informed. I was prepared to run away, hoard food and coffee, or hide as needed.
Attending a childbirth class may seem like unnecessarily learning too much about a subject. However wouldn't it be nice to know how to avoid or minimize problems ?
I was watching the graphic childbirth video at the first childbirth class with my pregnant wife. An involuntary "ewe yuck disgusting" passed from my lips. I could see this would be in bad form if I said it at an actual birth.
By the last class I was able to look at a birthing video and review the vocal styling, choreography and positions of the laboring mother without making any uncontrolled utterances.
Take a childbirth class so you can show up at the delivery room and appear like someone who knows what they are doing. Spouting out a yuck or eewe at the wrong moment will give you away every time.
