After my last entry aradne asked me about the scary factor in being a parent. I told her that I could write an entire entry on that question and here it is:
A big part that freaks me out is that she’s a girl. I’m a boy who grew up with five younger brothers; I don’t know a thing about raising a girl. Since I was the oldest I was forced into helping to raise my brothers; but the rough and tumble world of boys is a lot different from the world of Barbie and My Little Pony. Even in my extended family there isn’t a single “girly girl” so I guess it may not matter too much because she’s probably destined to be pretty tomboyish anyway.
There’s also the common protection fear. I can’t be around her every moment, so others will be responsible for her safety. She’s already been injured once due to the negligence of another and when I first got the news I immediately wanted to grab the person and just shake her until her brain turned back on. If anything really serious ever happened I don’t know if I’d be able to control myself if the person was near when I received the news.
The biggest part for me though is money. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to provide her with the things that she wants. It takes a lot financially to raise a child, that’s why I didn’t intend to have a child until later in life; but now I don’t have that choice and I fear she’ll be disappointed in the future because of it. I want her to have every opportunity in the world and I’m scared that I might be able to give her that.
