WAIT TILL YOU SEE THE WHITES OF THEIR EYES!

Those who have been through it know that it's like a strategy game. Know your opponent. Don't let them see you sweat. Never blink. Loose lips sink ships. And all that other hype that refers to head to head combat. I suppose in the animal kingdom it's just as cut throat. Striving to protect the offspring from potential threats. But on Animal Planet it's rarely the father vs mother. In nature there is a mutual understanding between the parental units as to what's best for the newborn. I guess that's why this feels so unatural to me. I'm a lover not a fighter. 'Make love, not war' and all that crap. But at the same time this is as instinctive for me as rushing to her aid when she has fallen off a swing. I'm acting on an essentual gut level. Sure, I think long and hard. I ponder. I calculate. I weigh options. I reformulate my strategies. I attempt to predict my opponent. I play a long tiring waiting game. But there is never a second thought. Even when I learn the cost of non-refundable retainer fees. There is never a second thought. I din't ask for this to happen, she did. This isn't of my making, it's all hers (despite what she might have anyone who listens believe). This will be many things... mentally taxing, financially painful, but when the dust settles she will be safe in her bed at the end of the night with her teeth brushed and hair washed. And in the morning I will be all smiles as she complains about the limited choices daddy can offer for breakfast before I take her to school (cereal or blueberry waffles?). Security has it's price.