A Warning to Single Men about Marriage and Parenting

tim chan —  June 28, 2012 — 3 Comments

Dear Single Men,

I am writing this letter to warn you about marriage and parenting. I used to be single, and now I’m married with a baby. Life is very different.

VERY different.

Sure, you may have heard the great things about marriage and parenting, and some of them are definitely true.

But let me tell you about the dark side.

Life gets slower.

Much

much

much

much

much

much

slower.

For example, when I was single, it would take me 5 minutes to get out of the house. That’s 5 minutes to get out of bed, get dressed, wash up, grab a bite to eat, and get out the door. I took pride in this ability and flexibility.

That life is over.

With a wife, it took 20 minutes to get out of the house – 5 minutes of getting ready and 15 minutes of waiting for my wife.

With a wife and baby, it takes 40 minutes to get out of the house.

Gone are the days of flexibility and freedom and waking up 10 minutes before work started (work was a 5 minute drive away).

Single men: be warned. If you’re planning to get married and have kids in the future, treasure this freedom that you have and use it wisely.

 

Married people and Parents, what other warnings do you have for single men?

 
photo credit: Βethan via photo pin cc
  • Jackie

    There’s a line in the movie “What to Expect When Expecting” where the experienced dads tell the expectant dad: “No judging!” I agree with this. There is nothing as humbling as becoming a parent and realizing all your pre-parenthood idealism and best intentions are tested in the unceasing, daily grind of raising kids and running a home.
    We found we no longer had time for the quiet activities such as reading, writing and reflection we depended on. This was a hard change to accept. We miss having the flexibility to do that.

    • http://www.timandolive.com tim chan

      Yes, I definitely agree about having less time for reading, writing, and reflection!

  • Angie

    40 mins to get out the door with a firstborn is fast. I was expecting over 1 hour.