Having Kids - Parents chime in...

[Veriz]

Having kids is great!

You can get away playing videogames while watching them,just get a car seat (so they cant tumble out) some games with ambient music (so they can be calm) and let the games begin!

Sounds like a win/win lol

[Pichu]

Congratulations on expecting your first child!

I'm not a parent, but I'm always glad to see other care for their offspring before they're even born. Plus I didn't realize there were this many parents on here.

[bladerunner]

Having kids is great!

You can get away playing videogames while watching them,just get a car seat (so they cant tumble out) some games with ambient music (so they can be calm) and let the games begin!

Sounds like a win/win lol

I will try Skyrim with my headphones on (dragons can be loud) with some George Winston in the background.

[the King]

Congrats. As a father of 3 little monsters under the age of 5 all of your concerns are valid. You will get less sleep, you will have less time to game, but at the end of the day you won't care that much because you will care about that little thing more than anything. Have fun with it. You have no idea what you are in for, but once it comes you'll be ready. You have to be. Oh and don't let the next 9 or so months go to waste. There are two good things about having a pregnant wife. You can't knock her up again while she's pregnant and you have a built in designated driver.

[gennss]

I was recently married and now have a 2 year old step son. Let me tell you ... sleep is a myth .. But all the good stuff about having a kid is completely true. Having a little shadow has been the ultimate source of joy and fun.

I haven't sat down and played with matchbox cars in decades and spent a whole lot of time doing so this year. It was the most fun I've had in a long time.

[elmagicochrisg]

If you have a boy, when he turns 10, buy him a baby horse. Have him lift this young horse over his head every day, and in a few years you'll have teenage son who can squat press a full sized horse.

[Possible253]

I'm a father of an 8 year old girl and a 4 year old boy.

Sleep - NOTHING anybody can tell you will prepare you for the lack of sleep you'll be experiencing. It sucks but your body adjusts and you'll be surprised at how well you can function on so little sleep.

Video Gaming - In the first little while you probably won't even feel like playing (energy wise). Nowadays I get a kick out of playing retro and modern games with them. "Dad can we play Bomberman on the Saturn?" or Food Fight on Atari is hilarious to me. My personal gaming time doesn't start til like 9:30 - 10 pm when they are fast asleep.

Other Peoples opinions - Yeah some people have some helpful advice. Others like to judge like "Why do you take your infant for a car ride to get them to fall sleep? We never did that, just leave them in the crib they'll fall asleep eventually." Resist the urge to punch this person in the face. You'll try just about anything to get your infant to sleep and if something works you'll go back to the well as many times as necessary.

[The Nihilist]

When the missus and I found out that we were having a baby, I decided to shelve all my hobbies for a later date

When we found out a couple weeks later that it was twins, I immediately sought out to purge all my hobbies. I kept all my video game stuff, but I purged damn near everything that was a hobby or collectable or not significant to keep at that time. Hot Wheels, Dreamblade, Heroclix, M:TG, Yugioh, PS2, going out and playing DDR, DVDs. I was pretty much clean slate before the twins finally arrived.

SLEEP:
You will adjust, but the first couple months will be rough. Take time off work.

The wife and I were sleeping in 1 1/2 hour shift for the first 2 weeks. She hallucinated a few times that her arm pillow was a baby. She woke me up and told me, 'Beck's in the bed! He's right here! Don't roll on him because we love him!'
Both babies were in bassinets in the other room.
And for some reason, when this did happen, it was always the boy. Not the girl.
But delirious me was scared to shit, awake and making sure that the arm pillow didn't move.
I woke up a few times and not knowing how I got there. I remember going to sleep and being very happy to being offered the chance to go to sleep.
Next thing I know, I'm standing in the middle of the living room holding a gallon of milk and a fork.
Just be ready for a stint of sleep deprivation. You will eventually get sleep.
Just remember, ALWAYS. That the kids aren't keeping you awake to piss you off. They don't know that they are pissing you off. They don't understand the concept of pissing you off. They cry because they want something--they don't cry just to cry; they don't start manipulating until they turn 2

VIDEO GAMING:
We got a Wii (that we haven't played much of, TBH) and the twins enjoy it. You will eventually start gaming again. But until that happens (since I don't know your habits and whatnot), you may have to learn the difference between being overwhelmed and being crushed by the weight of it all. You can get through overwhelm, but when everything sets you off. It's time to get away from the house or just need some time off. There's nothing wrong with it.
But I'd say that if you MMORPG a lot, get ready to NOT do that as often or at all. I'd say to get rid of it altogether in favor of playing games you can put down and don't have to commit a schedule to.
For me, I have to be away from the house. Our twins have quite a presence in the house that even me going into the garage (the 'hidey-hole') for some GameBoy action does not work. I could Solid Snake my way there and the Twins would still find me. Red Exclamation mark and all.

OTHER PEOPLE/IN LAWS:
I love my in-laws, I have had more problem with my own parents regarding the twins. Their reaction to us having twins was general shock, whereas everyone else had nothing but happiness, praise, and 'oh shit! twins?! good luck with that!'
My biggest thing is that my son is mildly autistic and we think our daughter has ADHD. My parents don't understand mental health issues to well (I think my mom had ADHD but doesn't see it). And my dad REALLY doesn't understand--I don't think it's sunk in. HE gets annoyed that my son gets set off easily when they are there.
He even told me,
'You know, when you were 8 months old, you wouldn't stop crying. Put you in a cold shower. You never did that again.'
Which is why they have to visit us.


Best advice I can give is to use your kids as an excuse to relive/redo your childhood.
I never would have thought that acting as the 'big friend' would be so fun.
Only gaming I have done with our 3 year old twins is Wii bowling.
And my son LOVES the Secret of Evermore soundtrack and Time Man stage from Megaman: Powered Up.
I can't have a car ride without my son wanting to 'listen to Time Man, please?'
followed by, 'Silly Time Man!'
kids are fun.

[gtmtnbiker]

We never did that, just leave them in the crib they'll fall asleep eventually." Resist the urge to punch this person in the face. You'll try just about anything to get your infant to sleep and if something works you'll go back to the well as many times as necessary.

The best advice I can give is that it's ok for your child to cry him/herself to sleep. For our first kid, we rocked/held her to sleep for almost a year. I remember putting her down in her crib and she would start crying. I would pick her up and then try again 10 minutes later. You definitely don't want to get into the habit.

If the kid is fed with a clean diaper, it's ok to let it cry. The first night, s/he might cry for more than an hour. Ignore it. The next night, it will be shorter. Then the 3rd or 4th night, there won't be any crying.

It's good to put the child on a regular bedtime and nap schedule.

Letting the baby cry is a tough thing to do.

[alienjesus]

If the kid is fed with a clean diaper, it's ok to let it cry. The first night, s/he might cry for more than an hour. Ignore it. The next night, it will be shorter. Then the 3rd or 4th night, there won't be any crying.

I dont advise feeding your baby diapers, clean or not.