It has come to my attention that in my previous installments of MTFP, I have focused on the more negative aspects of parenting. That was not my intent when I started writing these things.

With that, I bring you the best things about being a parent (so far):

Important Note: Remember, the point of the MTFP series is to talk about things that I didn't know before becoming a parent. That also goes for the good things. Of course the moment of birth was amazing, the first time he said "dada" was fantastic, but those were expected highs. This list is of the good things that I was not really expecting.

• Tax deduction - Before the boy was born, I was discussing the difficulty my wife and I were having with naming the baby with some of my coworkers. My boss suggested "Tax Deduction Phillips" for a name. What sounded silly then made much more sense in February, when we did our taxes.

  Learn from my mistakes though. I would advise you to aim to have a baby in December, because your baby costs for that tax year will be miminal, but your tax benefit for the year will be the same as if you had the baby on January 1. Trust me on this, I was a Finance major.



• The Parent Club - True story - just the other day, me and the boy walked into the bank. I sat down with a loan officer, and discussed the possibility of loaning some money. In a hushed voice, he was like, "You're a parent? Take this." Across his desk, he pushed an envelope. Enclosed was $10,000 cash. No application, no nothing. I didn't even show ID. He continued, "you can pay us back when you start getting some sleep. HA HA HA ahhahhaha! Welcome to the parent club, Mr. Phillips."

  In addition to that, I've also gotten free groceries, dinners at restaurants, waived car payments, etc. I even got out of a speeding ticket. It's like life as a hot girl, without the burden of having to look fabulous.



• I'm out of the spotlight - This might not be a positive for those of you who like to be in the spotlight, but for those like me, it's great. When I stroll around with the boy, I may as well be invisible. To my own parents, the ones who raised me, my role has been reduced to "transporter of their grandson." I haven't combed my hair in weeks, and nobody notices. It's really very liberating.

  Along these same lines, have you ever thought of becoming a pickpocket? Walk around with a baby in a stroller. You don't even have to be a good pickpocket. Just let them look at your baby, then help yourself to the contents of their purse/wallet.