June 2018 - EASTERN OREGON PARENT - 7
Practical guidebooks to dadding for the uninitiated
By JENNIFER COSTLEY
Nineteen months ago, a little
light bulb went off in my head.
Perhaps my newfound desire for
orange juice, excessive nausea and
lack of period were signs of things
to come … small … cuddly … messy
things. Eighteen dollars later my
theory was confirmed. The big
question wasn’t “How will I raise
a baby?” it was “How do I tell my
partner he’s going to be a dad?”
In the age of gender reveal
parties and Facebook pregnancy
announcements I decided to be
cute and tell him in a “fun” way.
So being the modern woman I am,
I Googled “How to tell your boy-
friend you’re pregnant” and quickly
found the easiest method for drop-
ping the bomb. I drew a picture of
a big smiling sperm, scrawled the
phrase “We have a winner” across
the bottom, tucked it into an over-
sized envelope with the pregnancy
test and headed to his work.
Let’s just say he did not find
my method cute. I’m not sure he
smiled once. First, there was confu-
sion, then realization and then a
stricken look, that stayed perma-
nently fixed to his face for roughly
the next three months. Was he
ready to be a dad? Absolutely not.
Did he spend the next eight months
getting ready?
You better
believe it.
Fortunately,
for every
future dad-to-
be there is an
extensive col-
lection of great
books out there
waiting to teach
you the basics
of parenting. No,
I’m not talking
about “What to
Expect When
You’re Expect-
ing.” These are
real books for real
dads who may or
may not have a clue.
I recommend the following:
• The Baby Owner’s Manual:
Operating Instructions, Trouble-
Shooting Tips, and Advice on
First-Year Maintenance by Louis
Borgenicht M.D. and Joe Bor-
genicht. “Congratulations on
the arrival of your new baby.
This baby is surprisingly similar
to other appliances you may
already own.” Written like a user
manual for operating your DVR,
“The Baby Owner’s Manual” is
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non-stop hilarity,
yet still manages
to cover all of the
important bases,
such as, how to
swaddle a baby,
sleep training,
and navigating
the pediatri-
cian’s office.
• Show Dad
How: The
Brand-New
Dad’s Guide
to Baby’s First
Year by Shawn
Bean. From
the editors of
Parenting Magazine, this fully
illustrated guidebook takes you
from preparing to impregnate to
baby’s first birthday in ways that
will have you cracking up and
taking notes at the same time.
Plus, bonus feature, this book
includes crafts!
• Toddlers are A**holes: It’s Not
Your Fault by Bunmi Laditan.
Confession: I read this cover-to-
cover even though my child is
nowhere near the toddler years.
This book is full of relatable par-
enting anecdotes that will have
you busting at the seams and
Parenting
Tip
then crying a little as you look
toward the future with fear. No
worries though; when you reach
that point, just turn to Chapter
9, aptly titled “How Not to Die
Inside.”
So after nine months of new
dadding, how’s my partner doing?
Well, he’s a better swaddler, bottler,
and middle-of-the-night comforter
than I. He’s got her trained to watch
the morning sports shows. She
already owns a pair of Jordan’s and
Kyrie’s and the kid’s favorite toy
is the Xbox controller he gave her
(minus batteries) so she could play
alongside him. I’m not an expert
but I think he’s killing it.
And, three weeks ago when I
told him (using words not illustra-
tions) he was about to be a Dad
again, he didn’t cry. Thank you
Chapter 9!
________
Jennifer Costley is Assistant Director
and Youth Services Librarian at the
Pendleton Public Library. She and
her partner Ben are expecting their
second child in November.
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