Ep. 72 What Could Go Wrong?




Sunshine Parenting show

Summary: <br> There comes a time when couples decide to create and raise tiny helpless human beings,<br><br> hoping they one day become non-tiny and less helpless.<br> Brett Grayson<br> In this episode, I am talking with <a href="https://brettgraysonbooks.com/" target="_blank">Brett Grayson,</a> author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1732602603/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1732602603&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=sunshineparen-20&amp;linkId=8ec2ef03fbb3b47318c1c22556ad85fb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What Could Go Wrong?: My Mostly Comedic Journey Through Marriage, Parenting and Depression</a>. Grayson takes on many of the tough issues faced by parents during the first few years of family life with a great deal of humor and vulnerability. We discuss what led him to write his book, start his blog and how he has enlarged the discussion by sharing from a dad’s point of view. Grayson is a father of two young children and resides in New Jersey.<br> Big Ideas<br> <br> * Humor helps us move forward, especially when discussing difficult subject matters.<br> * Even though a pregnancy is primarily a woman’s experience, a man also goes through his own set of struggles and emotions when becoming a father, which aren’t often discussed.<br> <br> Quotes<br> Audrey: “In this book, I think you have been able to combine difficult topics with humor and I’m guessing that is resonating with people.”<br> Brett: “We’ve been through some rough things: my wife’s first pregnancy, postpartum issues, topics that women discuss a lot.  I hadn’t seen too many fathers talking about it from their standpoint: what it was like for the father to go through; what our emotions were like.”<br> Brett: “I really felt that the humor would be the way that the people would be able to relate to what I was saying and it would make it more palatable to read.”<br> Audrey:  “You’re so right. The things that happen in a pregnancy seem to be a lot more about the woman’s experience but its true the father has a lot going on, too. I think you did open up a great line of conversation and discussion for men.”<br> Brett: “Men experience all kinds of struggles and emotions. Its okay to be open about it. You can still be a strong man and feel masculine in your own skin without feeling like you can’t express yourself.”<br> Brett: “It’s amazing to me that if you have a heart problem, its totally okay to see a doctor; it’s okay if you have a broken bone to see an orthopedist; but if you’re going to see a doctor about an issue with your brain then it needs to be secretive in some sense. I’ve never understood that. Hopefully we are breaking down those walls now.”<br> Brett: “I think there needs to be openness in your relationships. I think if you can’t tell your spouse that you’re struggling, that’s a problem. You need to be able to lean on each other and explain to each other that you’re struggling.”<br> Audrey: “I think you have a really important message to share. It think it’s wonderful that you’ve put yourself out there and shared some difficult stories. I think your end result will be that more people will get the help they need — that everyone needs at some point, if not throughout their lives.”<br> Links<br> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1732602603/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1732602603&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=sunshineparen-20&amp;linkId=4ee02362ab346467c996f6a93b8183d7" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><a href="https://brettgraysonbooks.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brett Grayson’s Blog</a><br> <a href="http://sunshine-parenting.com/2014/02/01/i-heart-camp/">10 Reasons I Heart Camp</a> (mentioned in this episode)<br> Related Posts/Podcasts<br> If you enjoyed this episode,