Article October 10, 2011 Issue

A dad-to-be takes his cue from Joseph

By Trevor Snorek-Yates

When expecting a child, both men and women play an important role in preparing for childbirth. While comedians joke about the father’s role (or the lack thereof) during pregnancy and childbirth, I found I had a unique, humble, and active part in supporting the births of our children.

One of the passages I found extremely helpful during my wife’s pregnancy with our first child, which many expectant parents studying Christian Science or reading Science and Health may be familiar with, was: “To attend properly the birth of the new child, or divine idea, you should so detach mortal thought from its material conceptions, that the birth will be natural and safe” (p. 463).

To me, this speaks about a child’s completeness and the affirmation that the child comes with all he or she needs to do well because her or his origin is not material but spiritual. The child is a whole and complete spiritual idea of God. As I prayed with these truths, I often felt those nine months were actually as much for my development as an expectant parent as they were for our soon-to-arrive child.