BEFORE WE DIVE IN
At 7.02am last Monday several things happened all at once.
My grandmother became a great-grandmother.
My parents became grandparents.
My sisters became aunts.
My wife became a mother.
I became a father.
Our son, Oresti, was born.
The past week has been a happy one.
An emotional one.
And a sleep deprived one.
But we, and our son, are safe and sound at home.
Those of you who have sent us well wishes, we thank you.
They have meant a great deal to us, and we are truly grateful.
The early days of parenthood now lie ahead of us.
We are taking it one day at a time.
Many of you reading this are parents, so we’d like to ask you a small favour.
Please reply to this email and share one piece of parenting advice.
What is one thing you wish someone had told you when you were exactly where we are now?
As my mother in law says to Krystallo:
Where you are I was and where I am you will be
Please write your “consejo” in English.
Next week, we’ll publish some responses anonymously so that we can all learn from the combined wisdom of this wonderful community.
As my friend Monika likes to say:
It takes a village to raise a child.
We’re looking forward to raising ours.
Oresti Ellis Sarka - 3.71kg - 51.5cm
A cause for celebration
This week’s three tips:
SOMETHING TO AVOID 🫣
🤦🏻♀️ “He born on Monday”
In Spanish, you say:
Nació el lunes
So it’s natural to think English works the same way and create the verb “to born.”
But born is not a verb.
✅ “He was born on Monday”
It’s the past participle of the verb to bear (to carry or give birth to).
That’s why English always uses be + born:
He was born early Monday morning
SOMETHING TO SOUND CONFIDENT 🧐
Expressions
“To wet the baby’s head”
To celebrate the birth of a baby, traditionally by having a drink with friends and family.
Why “wet”?
The expression dates back centuries. After a baby was born, the father would often buy drinks for friends and family to celebrate. The “wetting” refers to raising a glass rather than literally wetting the baby’s head.
We’re going to the pub on Friday to wet the baby’s head.
SOMETHING TO WATCH 📺
NEXT STEPS ➡️
Keep learning,
Jack & Krystallo
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