Most podcasters joke that there are two primary rules of podcasting:

• Don’t discuss politics
• Don’t discuss parenting

Today, I broke the second rule, and spent 90 minutes talking parenting with my friend Max Roberts on his Max Frequency Podcast.

Max is just a few short weeks away from becoming a dad for the first time, and naturally, had some questions. Though my advice is probably surely garbage, it was fun to be compelled to relive the time when Declan was brand-new.

On the episode, we couldn’t help but discuss Apple’s new announcements a little bit. However, this episode is predominantly me trying to do the impossible: help someone about to have their first child understand what they’re in for. Hopefully my advice was more useful and actionable than “sleep now, while you still can”.

When one is “in the trenches” parenting, it can occasionally be difficult to remember why you’re here. To remember all the work you put in to have a child. This conversation with Max was a really great reminder that even though kids can drive you nuts, they’re an incredible gift. No matter how challenging they can be, every single child is a miracle.

Some of my friends just sent their first-born off to college; others are soon-to-be empty-nesters. To relive the infant stage with Max was a fun way to remind myself that not only can it be worse 😆, but that every stage is a gift.