OK, enough already…

This post also appeared on www.capecodonline.com/blogs in the opinion section of the Cape Cod Times, a division of Ottaway Newspapers, Inc.

OK kid, enough already. I’m begging you, for the sake of our sanity please come out now.

MJ is 38 weeks today and she’s at the end of her rope. It’s been one day of not working and sitting around and she’s already sick of it. And all you husbands or boyfriends out there know that when she’s not happy, ain’t no one happy. My wife is one of the most independent women I’ve ever met, but not lately. Pregnancy — especially these difficult late stages — has caused her to shift her personality. Now that she’s bored and angry, she feels the need to share that frustration with me via telephone calls during the day. Lots and lots of telephone calls.

Yesterday she called me in near hysterics because her iPod wasn’t working correctly. This is the same woman who closes mortgages and million-dollar accounts as a manager of a bank, nearly melting down because her iPod wouldn’t link up with iTunes properly. And guys, just a little tip here….don’t ever tell a hormonal pregnant woman she’s making a big deal out of nothing. I’m lucky that was over the phone and not in person.

The truth is, guys will never understand what it’s like to be pregnant and all the accompanying emotions that go along with it. All we can do is be supportive and — more importantly — be quiet. Help out when you’re needed, respond only when asked directly, but realize that you are basically a bystander in this whole process. It’s all about her and frankly, that’s how it should be. But for a loudmouth like me, who uses jokes when he’s nervous, there’s a pretty steep learning curve.

Besides, an April Fool’s Day baby would be kind of cool.