The online home of aspiring fantasy & scifi author Martin Stellinga
When I was a kid, I used to think the future would be without pressure. I’d have a job, get home from work each day, and do whatever I wanted. No more homework, no more annoying parents, and enough money to buy any toy I liked.
Well, now I’m there, with my own job and house, a wife and a two-year-old daughter, and three cats. The pressure really hasn’t let up. On the contrary.
My daughter has turned two years old recently, and has entered full toddler mode. It doesn’t feel like she’s been around that long. On the other hand, I can’t remember not having a little girl around the house. Time to look back a bit.
I’d never heard about Harvey Weinstein until this week. And, honestly, I probably won’t remember it a few years from now. I will remember that there are men out there who will do terrible things to appease their sexual needs. And somehow, I have to prepare my now one-and-a-half-year-old daughter for a world filled with sexists, racists, and misogynists.
My daughter has recently gotten the hang of walking. She has also discovered a new hobby: climbing onto stuff. If that sounds like a volatile combination, then you’re right. It is. So, a rant about toddler safety.
My one-year-old’s upstairs, in bed, sleeping off the morning. My back hurts from carrying her around and running after her. She’s been ill a lot the last month, and was teething, but things seem to be alright again today. I have an hour or so to myself to do the chores and write a little.
I often hear ‘nothing can prepare you for parenthood’. Maybe that’s true, but you know: I’m a writer, it’s my job to describe the indescribable.
So I say ‘challenge accepted’.