When I was in my early twenties, a friend of mine was the first person within my circle of friends to have a baby. I asked her what it was like.
"Dan, I'm going to tell you something, and you're going to say you understand. Hell, you may mean it, but you won't understand."
"Huh! What?"
"Once you have a baby, nothing in your life will -- ever -- be -- the -same."
"Yeah, I know what . . . "
"NO! You THINK you understand, but . . . trust me, you don't."
It is important to prepare financially before having a child to will not turn this grace into a curse..