Mommy is pacing slowly around the living room, one hand bracing her back, the other resting on the firm curve of her belly.
Daddy is trailing after her like an overanxious bodyguard, clutching the car keys, ready to go.
“Was that your water?” he blurts suddenly, eyes wide.
Mommy stops mid-step and stares at him. “Did you even see any water?”
He pauses to think, then glances up again. “Okay, okay, but—are you giving birth? Right now?”
Mommy exhales slowly, the kind of sigh that only years of patience could prepare someone for. “If I were giving birth right now, do you really think I’d be calmly explaining it to you?”
Daddy nods, then nods again, as if agreeing with himself might prevent him from asking the next question. But it slips out anyway: “Should I call the hospital just in case? Or maybe your mom? Or the fire department?”
Mommy sinks into the couch with a small groan, looking at him like he is both the most irritating and the most endearing man alive. “Sit down before before I call the police. It’s not happening yet.”
For a moment, silence fills the room, except for the rhythmic tapping of daddy’s foot on the carpet. He is watching her every movement, every breath, waiting for the tiniest sign.
Then Mommy shifts uncomfortably, and his head snaps up. “Is that it? Is it happening?”
She smiles, shaking her head. “No, sweetheart. It’s just your son practicing gymnastics. If it was happening, trust me, you’d know.”
Daddy slumps into the chair opposite her, finally letting out a nervous chuckle.
“Okay. Okay. I’m calm. Totally calm.” he says, but he isn't.
Expecting a child can be a stressful experience for most couples. Moms have been preparing physically and mentally for nine months.
On the other hand, their partners not so much. Often times they feel useless, unable to offer any sort of assistance to their loved ones.
But they are there, ready to jump, ready to support the best way they can, even if they can become annoying some times.