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Fetus Don't Fail Me Now: How Scientists Raise Children
An anonymous reader writes "In the latest column from scientist, humor columnist, and stand-up comedian Adam Ruben, he examines his own umbilicus and considers how being a scientist will affect his approach to raising his only slightly post-fetal child. From the article: 'I don't know how other prospective fathers treat their wives' pregnancies, but I saw it as a science project. It had a protocol, parameters, a timeline, and even the one item that makes funding agencies happy: a deliverable. I found myself poking at my wife's abdomen, asking, "Who's Daddy's little gestating blastocyst? Who's recapitulating phylogeny?"'"
Knowing this, why would anyone who respects data have children?
Genital arousal combined with absence of contraceptives.
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Agree with all of the above. When I referred to our "little blastocyst" my wife got upset and chided me for not knowing that by three weeks we most certainly had a gastrula.
http://www.ted.com/talks/rufus_griscom_alisa_volkman_let_s_talk_parenting_taboos.html Let's talk parenting taboos: Rufus Griscom + Alisa Volkman
here is a TED talk that takes that first data point on decreased happiness and digs deeper.
An early pioneer at microscopy, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was one of the first ones to look at sperm cells, around 1677. He describes that the samples were obtained fresh, and added the disclaimer "What I investigate is only what, without sinfully defiling myself, remains as a residue after conjugal coitus."
In other words, in this pioneering study of human sperm, Mrs. van Leeuwenhoek was an uncredited lab assistant in an unusual capacity.
The sense of humor comes in handy, especially when you have to put up with a husband and kids. But actually, 99.9% of the time, they are the best thing in my life. Then there are the moments when you have to laugh when something frustrating happens, because there's no point in getting mad about it. Which is why my son had the temporary nickname of "Mom's fountain of joy", while I was learning to be much faster with diaper changing...
True, although in our case, my wife referred to our daughter affectionately as Blasty well into the pregnancy.
She also sang Frank Sinatra ("I get a kick out of you") to the fetus every day for 7 months or so, so she could compare the response post-partum to a control (Dean Martin). Results were inconclusive. We're considering another trial.