After you see your child come into the world, you think you're still the same person you were the day before. You are not. You're a different person. You probably will not even notice the changes right away.
In my case, I first noticed a change as I was driving to a local "big box store." It's about a mile away. Clark was in the back of the car in his car seat. I noticed distinctly that I was driving differently. I was driving much more cautiously and patiently. Those aren't bad things, just not the way I drive*. Patience is not my forte. Even with a crying baby behind me, I wasn't in my usual rush to get anywhere fast.
When I got to the parking lot, I found myself waiting for people to finish crossing in the crosswalks out front. That does not sound like me. The old me would try to get through the crosswalk, meandering around and between the lallygaggers. I hate waiting for people in the crosswalk who aren't paying attention to what's going on around them.
I parked, settling for a space much farther away than I would have normally settled for on the first pass. I got out of the car and grabbed lil' Clark in his infant carrier. I headed towards the front of the store and the previously mentioned crosswalk. With baby in tow, I was cautious and conscientious: waiting for traffic to stop in both directions before proceeding. My old babyless method more closely resembled the 80's video game Frogger
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None of these changes were intentional nor conscious in the least, though maybe they should have been. I guess it's just part of the transformation into a parent, responsible for a family and the life of a new human being.
- Clark's Dad
*Don't get me wrong. I'm not a bad or careless driver. I'm pretty awesome actually. I pay more attention to what other drivers and pedestrians are doing than they do to themselves. It allows me to accurately anticipate their moves and make the decision that gets me from A -> B fastest. I'm always thinking and analyzing while I'm driving.
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