Mayor's View: Baby Bristow number 3 is on the way!
“Being a parent is just magical.”
“You are destined to be surrounded by beautiful women”. That was the line Sara, my wife, deployed when we discovered that our child due in January will indeed be another girl, writes Combined Authority Mayor Paul Bristow.
Sara is one of the three sisters. Her eldest sister has two daughters. Her twin has a daughter. We already have two girls, Rebecca and Eris. We are busying ourselves converting our beautiful guest bedroom into a pink nursery. I am preparing for a world of Peppa Pig, pureed food and funny smells. It will be like a ‘Nightmare on Sesame Street.’
I actually love being a Daddy. Especially to girls - but I am aware I have known little else.
Having another daughter at 47 was a surprise. And while the overwhelming majority of comments over social media were positive, there was one or two people who suggested I was wrong or selfish to have another child slightly later in life. Out of over a thousand social media engagements – I shall never take any notice of an odd, horrible comment. But I did think these were a bit much, so I checked out their profiles. One proudly included a Communist hammer and sickle in their profile and the other proudly boasted their admiration for Jeremy Corbyn. So sadly, their view of the latest addition to the Bristow family all came down to politics, again…
I did kind of bring it on myself by claiming I shall be the oldest Dad in the playground.
I don’t think that being an older father is automatically better or worse than becoming a father younger. Both have advantages and disadvantages. You must play the hand you are dealt.
A bit more life experience could mean a clearer sense of your values and what matters to you. Some fathers as they get older could have greater emotional maturity, (probably not the case with me) and be more patient and self-aware. A bit of confidence having been there and done it can’t be a bad thing right?
However, my fit for 50 plan will need to come forward. And my staying power in certain ways have definitely begun to be zapped!
Personally, I think all you need is love and an appreciation that being a parent is probably the most important thing you will ever do. This is true regardless of age.
The moment I held my first daughter – I was hooked. I needed her in the same way I needed oxygen or food. I felt the same way when my second daughter was born and no doubt it will be the same with number three. They are and will always be my babies.
They motivate me in ways that I can’t explain. I want to leave a City and a Region that is better for them than the one I grew up in. That’s why I do this job as Mayor. I know most people feel the same about their families.
So, as we prepare again for NCT classes, struggling to fix another child seat to the hideous car I am desperate to get rid of and worry about how we will cope with nursery and childcare – I say to all Mums and Dads out there in Peterborough and beyond. Whether you are young or old. Whether you feel ready or not!
“Being a parent is just magical. Look after yourself as well as your new baby. You are going to be brilliant” xxxx