Random tidbits from my still brief time in...

26JUN2021; 1950, SAT

Well, I'm finally ready to drop some gems that I hope and pray will help save others from some of my boneheaded mistakes made over the past several years. With any luck, I won't be tempted to put too much family biz out there.

I really and truly don't know how to kick this one off. I suppose a random cannonball will have to do:

Best believe, there's most def a such thing as "Dad brain". "Mom brain" is a given; but bammas be sleeping on us parents with that Y chromosome.

Granted, not every dad gets it; and it's arguably less intense than the newfound instincts for our gender counterparts. However, my fav bars from J. Cole's new album released last month are, "Slowly revealin' myself; buildin' my wealth. A n**** touch mine, I'ma [redacted] 'em myself; trust me."

A smidge morbid; tho, what happened to the days where a person would stop at nothing to protect his/her offspring? I digress.

A new friend that I just exchanged numbers with mentioned how he believes that most parents are nowhere near financially ready for children at the time that they receive confirmation there's "a bun in the oven." I don't think that anyone can change his nor my mind on the matter; "no cap."

My very first class in high school was a health one, with hands down one of the best teachers ever. I will forever be indebted to him for the rare jewels that he dropped on us.

On day one, I couldn't help but notice the poster on one of the walls that read something to the effect of, "Babies cost an average of about $500/mo. If you can't afford that, then play it safe."

I don't quite have a clue of how much $500 USD (United States Dollar) from 2003 would be worth now, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it ain't less. Not even a smidge.

Not for nothing, "the world's reserve currency" has been on a steady decline in purchasing power since the early 20th century. I'll let you do your Googles on why that's the case.

Don't wanna end up like the triple OG's (Original Gangstas) of old that bucked the system too much; rest their souls. Back to the topic at hand!

This might could be a given in some respects, but make sure you are on the same page when it comes to vaccinations and such with your coparent. Contesting for the first time in the delivery room ain't where it's at; assuming you're allowed in during the birth(s).

Completely unrelated: It's damn true what they say in that old wives tale, "hell hath no furry like a woman scorned." In a similar vein, it might not hurt to make sure that you as well as parent number two are in cohesion in regards to afterlives and such.

Another random rec: Read to your children every single day, if you can. From the day that they get their souls at 7 weeks...

I have regrettably forgotten the names of the researchers, and their study, which claimed to validate that ancient Egyptian factoid (that we humans get our souls exactly 49 days into our moms' wombs). Side note: I highly doubt that we'll ever know how those crazy Egyptians of old came upon that knowledge.

Speaking of which tho, just because there's technically a such thing as being "half pregnant", doesn't mean that we oughta play fast and loose with the hearts of young women out here. Like the living legend NaS said back in 2012, on his Life Is Good album, "The coolest playas and foulest heart breakers in the world; God gets us back, he makes us have precious little girls."

Something I never knew before becoming a dad: It's not "Sister and Brother", but rather "Sissy and Bruh-Bruh". Who'd have thunk it?

One last nugget of wisdom that I warily wish I would've somehow known prior: Screen time oughta be reserved strictly for educational purposes; especially on mobile devices. "Simple and plain"- Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def).

***

Prayerfully, someone somewhere gets something pertinent (re: useful) from this post. If that somebody's you, then please think about considering a Like/Tip/Share, and/or check out some of my other posts.

TIA (Thanks In Advance). Peaceful Tidings.

***