For two probable parents


My wife, you’re so easy to talk to, and considering we both like to talk—about the world, about which animals we saw, about which of our students had a really bad day or made the slightest improvement which will undoubtedly make their lives and the lives of their families better, about what we ate or what we want to eat—our daughter will probably have a lot of words, and she’ll be eager to throw those words about, test new ones and ask questions about the ones we use most frequently. I have full confidence that she will love talking to you like I do, and she’ll find it rewarding and enlightening like I do, and she’ll take the lessons from those conversations everywhere like I do.



My self, me, you’ve practiced well like a father, cultivated the necessary virtues such as patience, understanding, and plants, and then yet more patience, and even though your child is not yet here, the life you’ve chosen so far has equipped you well for the coming onslaught of words. You married an English major, remember. If your daughter’s dome is even half the size of yours then she’ll be able to fit quite a lot up there, and you’ll be ready to gab, guide, deflect if need be, and when her mind is running like an overheated engine, you’ll take her outside to play in the grass or hit a ball or read a book or do a push-up.