Lesson 26

It's been a very busy couple of months. Your baby brother will be here in a week. I've been in and out of the hospital for false labor. You've been doing so well going in and sitting quietly, even though it's freaking you out a little. The other night, you kept coming to the side of the bed and rubbing my hand asking if I was feeling better. You finally passed out on the couch at about 1am. Dad snapped a pic of you just before we left. You've been so great helping around the house. You've been picking up after yourself and even helping clean up messes that aren't yours to clean. Sometime you went from being a toddler that I have to clean up after to being a little boy who is responsible (mostly) for his own mess. You've even been "helping" me cook, you're pretty good at homemade pizza and cookies. I hope that is something you keep up with as you get older, which brings me to lesson 26...

One day, you're going to start dating. (God help me.) I can tell you, being able to cook (even a simple or small meal) will go a long way with the ladies. I'm not trying to teach you how to pick up women, but I can tell you when you find someone you'd like to keep around for awhile, having a clean living space and the ability to make a meal will impress women like crazy. A few women I've gone to college with have paired with men who can cook because they can't. You shouldn't rely on a woman being able to cook for you. Not only will it give you points in the dating game, but it will save you money if you can cook for yourself, bonus if you figure out how to make a few things ahead and freeze them to heat later. I hope that by the time you read this, I've taught you quite a few things to make in the kitchen. Maybe you've even taken home-ec (to meet girls of course ;) ) and learned some other things to make. Even if you don't do it for the dating advice, it's still a good life skill to know.