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It is definitely a combination of practice and personal feeling. I was always a little uncomfortable with children but I always thought I would be fine with a little practice. Now that I have been a dad for over 9 months. I'm no longer uncomfortable.
On the other hand, my wife's friend and her husband tried for a year and a half to have kids. She is a labor and delivery nurse used to dealing with newborns and she babysat for the 4-5 nieces and nephews in various ages until she got pregnant. She always seemed like she was comfortable with her nieces & nephews but I got to see the parent version a few weeks ago. The family came over for dinner including their two month old son. In the six hours they were over, they only changed their baby once and fed him twice. They only held him while he was being fed. Otherwise, he was put in his car seat to sleep. He has a horrible diaper rash which is probably a result of sitting in his own stuff for hours at a time. They don't want anything to do with him and just complain about how much he cries. Not the same people I saw watching the other kids and then I realized why. They could always give the kids back in a day or two, they never had to be the parents.
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A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin
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