Future dads are you ready?
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I cried when I heard the heartbeat
I cried when I learned it was a boy
I cried when he entered the world and into my hands
He cried too
Softly at first
Then loudly
For 1380 days in a row he has cried
In the morning
At night
He cries
His brother came out crying too
Crying by the Numbers
In the first year, a baby cries anywhere from one to four hours (probably more) a day. That is 365 to 1460 hours of crying in one year. If crying could be harnessed as an energy source, a baby could power a kegerator, a toaster oven, and a laptop all at the same time.
It is estimated that 1.3 calories are burned per minute of crying which means a one year old has burned anywhere from 28,500 to 114,000 calories wailing away in the first year of his/her life. Breast milk has roughly 20 calories per fluid ounce thus 1425 to 5700 ounces of breast milk were consumed to fuel a year of crying. Or if breast milk came in six-packs, that’s anywhere from 20 to 80 six packs.
Kids generally stop crying about “everything and anything” between the ages of 2.5 to 4 years of age. My oldest is almost 4 and we haven’t had a cry-free day yet. That’s 912 to 1460 days in a row where crying is part of a parent’s daily soundtrack. If parents have two children two years apart like we did, there is the potential of half a decade or more of crying.
Wahh…
My son’s crying and sleep issues were terrible up until 10 months. For the sanity of my wife and I we switched our little man to a sleeping suit. At first I was skeptical, but it really works! We got our Zipadee-Zip from Sleeping Baby- its a gamechanger! We started using it around four months, and it soothes him and helps him fall asleep faster. I plan to continue having him use it for a while 🙂
I submitted this spur of the moment piece under the category of “Humor” so I guess that’s the point. Laughing at something is a way to embrace and appreciate something that may not be so much fun. I am thankful everyday to have two healthy sons wailing away. 🙂 I agree with your assessment that many men have baggage around tears. My boys will know that crying is as much a part of life as laughing. Today my two year old cried when he woke up, he cried because there wasn’t enough cream cheese on his bagel, he cried when… Read more »
What’s the point of this? To scare dads, make them feel anxious, resistant, depressed? If so, then it works. I feel sorry for the person holding this perspective, focused on crying seemingly at the expense of the whole of fatherhood. It would be nice to include some content on support for dads as they are immersed in a world where crying is a common theme. Maybe words that actually has them consider a way to connect to their children through the crying, the full expression of one’s experience, especially since most dads are uncomfortable or unable to be with their… Read more »