My fabulous wife, Nette, has asked me to write a guest post for her blog, which I am only now managing to fit in between all my work, which is a great position to be in and I’m very grateful to be able to serve people, achieve an excellent result as well as a reasonable reward for doing what I really currently enjoy!
My recollection when we first got together was that neither of us wanted children, although Nette says at some point before our wedding we discussed it and she actually did then want to have children “at some point”.
After 3 stepchildren from my previous marriage in South Africa, I wasn’t keen on the idea, although apparently I “tentatively agreed” or least didn’t dismiss the idea outright. As was the case with our dog, when certain things that I’m not wildly keen upon are “suggested” I tend to say “next year” or some similar far-off future time, perhaps hoping she’ll change her mind or forget… Perish the thought! My lovely wife has an “elephant memory” and a “bulldog determination”, with the end result that she eventually gets what she wished for and I “agreed” to sooner or later 😉
Why I mention this is because my great concern or “fear” was how my (our) life would change, first with the acquisition of the dog and then on a greater scale with the “creation” of a child. In both cases, although my (our) life has changed I really love both the dog, or “hound” as I often call Jack, and even more so our beautiful baby daughter. She is a delight to be around and play with almost all the time – except at night, when only Mommy will do!
During this whole transition it’s been a privilege to watch Nette grow from not just my lovely wife, but also to an amazing Mom, as she continually surprises me with the patience, caring and love she has for Lilly on a daily basis, which I’m sure as any Mum will say, is both rewarding & tiring, often in fluctuating degrees.
It’s not always “perfect sailing” we have our disagreements and different views on things, but one thing is certain, our love and best wishes for Lilly. I will often remark how “lucky” Lilly is to have such a fabulous Mom, and I couldn’t have wished for a better wife and mother to my baby girl. I have a massive appreciation (even if I don’t mention it every single day) for what Nette does each and every day & night.
Sometimes I do feel a little like a bystander watching things unfold, and Nette will sometimes encourage me to “get more involved” with Lilly and I think right now, get involved as best I can for me while balancing my work life is a journey that will evolve as I continue to undertake it… Watch this space!