Scott is a working Dad and Husband, married to Katie, a stay-at-home Mom, with 3 kids ages 4, 2, and 9months. Scott enjoys spending as much time with his family as possible. When time allows he also enjoys photography, listening to music & podcasts, reading, and his newest hobby is making paracord bracelets, lanyards, etc. Follow him on twitter @scottkeyes
A little over 4 years ago our good friends Kurt & Sheena came over to our house for a visit. We had just had our first baby and they were coming to meet him for the first time. Little did we know that they were also coming to tell us that they had just found out they were expecting. Once they told us they were having a baby my wife and I unleashed on them a torrent of new parenting advice the likes of which they probably never saw coming… To make a long story short, once they left and Katie and I began talking about their visit, I began to feel a little bit embarrassed about what we had just done to them. They just wanted to share their great news with us and we hit them with so hard with a flurry of parenting advice that I’m sure when they left our house they decided not to tell anyone else they were having a baby until he was actually born. It turns out that wasn’t actually the case, which is good, but the better part of this story is that Katie and I learned a very big lesson. We learned that even though we are excited to share our knowledge and experiences with new parents, it’s best not to share any of that advice until we are actually asked to share it. We also learned to just say, “If you ever have any questions don’t hesitate to ask us any time.”
So, new parents beware: when you begin telling people that you are expecting, your friends and family (even the ones that don’t have kids) are going to start giving you advice, or telling you stories about what lies ahead for you as parents. Keep in mind that they are going to do this because they are excited for you and not because they want to scare you or stress you out. They are going to do this because they want to help you avoid some of the mistakes that they made, or suggest some awesome baby gear that they have found they couldn’t live without or a great book you should read. They will do this whether you like it or not, and they will do this because they love you.
After telling you all of this I am still going to leave you with one piece of advice: Later, after baby is born and you use one of those bits of advice, be sure to say thank you to the person that shared that advice with you. Your friend or family member will be happy to know that you heard what they were saying and that they were able to help in some small way.
Scott Keyes