My Story

A year and half ago I married for the first time after directing my life without a thought for others for over 20 years. That change is being quickly followed by my first child, who will hopefully arrive just before my 45th birthday. Needless to say, the new turns to my life have been a bit disruptive to my last-minute decisions, carefree (or rather maintenance free) home life and my general disdain for responsibility.

Normally, with great power comes great responsibility. It appears the great power is ceded to my wife and the great responsibility has been delegated to me. I am the sole provider while she completes her education. I manage the finances and insurance issues, ensuring that my wife and daughter's life will be satisfying in my... ahem... absence -- not that they would like that to happen, mind you, but just in case.

I felt my unique insight and experiences might help other apprehensive expectant new fathers, or just provide a bumblingly hilarious romp for the mothers out there who happen across it.

My Role as a Father

My employer is very enlightened (and I am ever so grateful) in the area of family responsibility, enabling me to take 3 months off to care for our child directly after her birth while my wife continues her studies. I have been warned that I may be bored to tears and want to return to work after a week at home, so I created this website to provide an outlet for my frustrations and a focal point for those energies that are not completely absorbed by diapers, feedings, burpings and all the other joys of a sleepless fatherhood. I also felt that other expectant new fathers, especially those starting late in life, might appreciate my unique insights and experiences. Well, at least there might be some humor to alleviate their worries.

My Role as Provider

My initial concern was how much all this would cost, but that quickly became overshadowed by the immediate need to rearrange the bedrooms and perform all the deferred maintenance on the house. As weeks become months, and months became a pending baby, I have been furiously scraping and painting, as well as assembling the crib, toys and other furniture and decorations. Now that things are calming down my mind has returned to the costs. I realized that they all pale compared to the future college tuition.

I concluded that there would be a practical side to the humor and knowledge that I dispensed. The proceeds could be applied to immediate (think diapers and food) and future (college and wedding) expenses of our new child. My wife was against making our daughter the poster child of Internet panhandling, but concurred that a blog would provide an easy way to communicate the latest happenings to all our relatives and friends. Whatever revenue it might generate as a side-effect could be directed to the best interests of our daughter, provided my wife has complete and final say about the material on the website.

What About the Name?

The phrase "Baby Needs A New Pair Of Shoes" is an old refrain most often heard in the movies. A desperate gambler is clutching food money in one hand while coarsely rattling dice in the other. He is calling on all the pity of the gods to favor him with luck. It is a cry to the heavens to find a source that can satisfy his responsibilities. This site would more accurately be "Baby Needs College Tuition", but the chosen one will ring true enough as she grows. As websites go these days, I would be ecstatic to be able to buy a new pair of shoes and amazed if there was money for a tuition fund.

So, there you have it. The purpose and reason of this website. I only ask that you be a willing participant. Enjoy yourself, accept this content for what it is and laugh about it. Interact with any of the advertisers that interest you, or post your own ads in support of this effort. If you like our logo, order a baby jumper or a T-shirt and wear it proudly. You are contributing to the future well being of a grateful child and a humbled father.