Congratulations! You are going to have a baby. These words usually tend to change any new couple’s life into a mixture of excitement, anticipation, and fear. Are they going to be able to take full emotional, physical and psychological responsibility of the new baby? Will they be good parents? A series of questions start swirling and they never end. Even after the baby is born, a flood of new responsibilities and tasks start to appear, and parents usually get overwhelmed and tired. But if that parent is a doctor, would that make any difference? Parents, no matter what their job is, are good parents. They try their best and give all the love they have to their kids. But I am biased to doctors when it comes to parenting, and I have my reasons, let me share it with you. 1- They are equipped to handle high stressful situations. Being a doctor means you are going to deal with the most stressful situations on daily basis. You are going to learn how to stay calm to save patients’ lives in the middle of screaming and panicking relatives. So, yes! The baby is crying? No problem, I got that. 2- They know how to multitask. Based on their demanding job, they have always learnt how to prioritize and how to multi-task. They are not going to panic because they have 10 tasks on their to-do list. They know exactly what they are going to do. Coffee first, then everything will fall into place. 3- They appreciate the miracle of birth. Well, yes we all do. But for doctors who spent most of their lives studying different diseases and congenital anomalies. They know exactly what could go wrong and they have all these scenarios in their heads. So having a healthy baby with a normal genetic pool is a pure miracle. 4- You will not panic in the midst of the night if your baby coughs. Hmm, cough? A list of differentials will pop-up and a full examination would be carried out and proper treatment would be prescribed. This is not exclusive for emergencies; it is more of a lifestyle. Doctors in general are good observers, no wonder they will take more time dressing up their babies, as they will be examining them for any abnormal skin lesions or assessing their developmental milestones. 5- All their friends are doctors too. Oh? They are not a pediatrician or a dermatologist? no problem, one of their friends will be. So, goodbye to long waiting lines at doctors’ clinics. They will probably call one of their doctor friends and will come for a consultation after working hours or even at the weekends. 6- They are good listeners. They have learnt to listen to patient’s complaints all the time. Not only listening but also engaging with it. Their kids would always find someone to listen to their non-ending stories! 7- Teenager and “the talk” Kids turning into teens is the most confusing part of parenting. You will need to educate them about hormonal changes and sexuality. Most parents tend to get nervous and skip this talk allowing their children to learn from friends and internet. As for doctors, they will sit with their children, tell them all the information they need and will be open for any questions with no embarrassment at all. 8- Healthy diet. One of the basic health advice doctors give to their patients is to eat healthy and avoid food with preservatives or too much fat. Accordingly, their kids will grow in an environment where these types of food are not even allowed. 9- Their house is a pharmacy. At any time, you need a drug, you will find it. From paracetamol for headache to epinephrine for sudden anaphylaxis, although no one is allergic to anything. You will probably also find some surgical tools just in case someone got an abscess! 10- Academic help. Doctors were used to be the top of their classes and they also have teaching skills, imagine this combo for their children. They will help them with math, grammar, history, and geography not only with biology or chemistry. Isn’t this amazing?
