With parenting comes a frenzy of epiphanies. They come fast and furious. Whether they come when changing that first diaper (or the thousandth), during a 3:00 AM bottle feeding, or while we’re teaching a teenager to drive, we’ve all had those moments when the world stops and we have that moment....that epiphany.
In this moment, something causes a revelation where you realize a truth – things become clear or simplified. It causes you to look at the world differently. And it doesn’t just make you stop and think, it is the catalyst that turns your thoughts into action and makes things better. And things are never the same.
I’m curious – what sort of epiphanies have any of the readers on this site had related to their lives, or parenting? What were those moments that had a huge effect on your future? My business partner talks about the wives of some of his friends, who had big corporate careers and who just had that moment where it all changed: “I don’t want to go back to work. I want to be a stay-at-home mom.” In an instant…everything changed.
The epiphany happens in an instant, but there are obviously (I think) a series of mini-explosions that occur before the “big one.” In the example above, the woman most likely experienced those magical bonding revelations that take place. The hormones rage (in both a good and bad way – take it easy!). The baby smiles. The baby coos. The baby sleeps. It doesn’t take much, but it adds up quickly. The result? The Epiphany.
The epiphanies don’t necessarily have to do with our own kids. I know that I’ve experienced a few such moments that don’t involve K-Man. Instead, they are about my own parents. Oftentimes, being a parent makes us reconsider our role as children. Grown, adult children, but as long as we have parents around, we’re going to be kids. Any epiphanies about how those roles have changed? About how you’ve changed?
There are work epiphanies. Epiphanies about philanthropy. Some people have epiphanies about the spirituality or sexuality. And, for some – they are one in the same.
Epiphanies don’t have to be HUGE, hit-you-over-the-head and change 100 things about your life. They can be bite-size: “I think I want to put blonde highlights in my hair.” That being said, I suppose the time (okay, two times) that I bleached my hair blonde proves that not all epiphanies are positive.
Here’s the deal – my partner and I are collecting epiphany stories. We know that parents are the finest purveyors of these moments. We might be the most open to the experiences that drive them and the actions we take because of them. They don’t only happen with birth or major milestones. They can happen when we simply watch our kids sleep or slide into second during a Little League game. And, what about the kids? K-Man probably isn’t having any recognizable epiphanies (other than the fact that he’d rather watch Madagascar than Cars), but what about the older kids?
So, here’s what we ask. Check out Life. Medium Rare. and chime in with your epiphany stories. Or leave them here. (If you go to LMR, though, you’ll get to read about the 20-something young buck who kayaked naked.)
Thanks, in advance. We now return you to our regularly scheduled blog.
In this moment, something causes a revelation where you realize a truth – things become clear or simplified. It causes you to look at the world differently. And it doesn’t just make you stop and think, it is the catalyst that turns your thoughts into action and makes things better. And things are never the same.
I’m curious – what sort of epiphanies have any of the readers on this site had related to their lives, or parenting? What were those moments that had a huge effect on your future? My business partner talks about the wives of some of his friends, who had big corporate careers and who just had that moment where it all changed: “I don’t want to go back to work. I want to be a stay-at-home mom.” In an instant…everything changed.
The epiphany happens in an instant, but there are obviously (I think) a series of mini-explosions that occur before the “big one.” In the example above, the woman most likely experienced those magical bonding revelations that take place. The hormones rage (in both a good and bad way – take it easy!). The baby smiles. The baby coos. The baby sleeps. It doesn’t take much, but it adds up quickly. The result? The Epiphany.
The epiphanies don’t necessarily have to do with our own kids. I know that I’ve experienced a few such moments that don’t involve K-Man. Instead, they are about my own parents. Oftentimes, being a parent makes us reconsider our role as children. Grown, adult children, but as long as we have parents around, we’re going to be kids. Any epiphanies about how those roles have changed? About how you’ve changed?
There are work epiphanies. Epiphanies about philanthropy. Some people have epiphanies about the spirituality or sexuality. And, for some – they are one in the same.
Epiphanies don’t have to be HUGE, hit-you-over-the-head and change 100 things about your life. They can be bite-size: “I think I want to put blonde highlights in my hair.” That being said, I suppose the time (okay, two times) that I bleached my hair blonde proves that not all epiphanies are positive.
Here’s the deal – my partner and I are collecting epiphany stories. We know that parents are the finest purveyors of these moments. We might be the most open to the experiences that drive them and the actions we take because of them. They don’t only happen with birth or major milestones. They can happen when we simply watch our kids sleep or slide into second during a Little League game. And, what about the kids? K-Man probably isn’t having any recognizable epiphanies (other than the fact that he’d rather watch Madagascar than Cars), but what about the older kids?
So, here’s what we ask. Check out Life. Medium Rare. and chime in with your epiphany stories. Or leave them here. (If you go to LMR, though, you’ll get to read about the 20-something young buck who kayaked naked.)
Thanks, in advance. We now return you to our regularly scheduled blog.
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