New Baby

In talking with new parents, I get the impression that a baby is a great way to get out of self-absorption. As a single person there is a tendency to think a lot about yourself. Then you get married and think a bit more about someone else, the spouse. Spouses tend to get into routines, and can become pretty predictable. They generally don't change your whole day in an instant or suddenly bring you out of yourself. A baby does not have a pattern that is always predictable. Babies are new. You might be thinking about yourself and your plans, even to include the baby. Did you check with baby? Get approval? So baby does whatever baby wants to do. Suddenly, you are thinking about baby and not you, or maybe a good deal of the day you are thinking, focusing on baby and not on you or the spouse. Selfishness and self-centeredness is not a good fit for a nurturing parent.

As for me, I never had a baby. It shows. I am forever dealing with self-absorption and ego. What if I were to look at God not as "Father" but as "Baby". Would it make a difference? Well, you can ignore your father or mother, for that matter. It is much harder to ignore "baby". There is a lot to think about here.