Here we are, all signed up for a reality show all about our pregnancy. Well, Kim’s pregnancy.
I mean, yeah, I was there for the fun part. But after that, let’s be honest, we guys do not do any of the heavy lifting. So, here’s to you amazing mommies out there. You truly are super heroes.
In part one I explained all about how I came to be married to an amazing women 19 years younger than myself and being on the road to having my first child at the ripe young age of 48.
And of how the Netflix reality docu-series “Being Dad,” produced by the Chicken Soup For The Soul production company, was going to feature Kim and I as one of their story lines.
No, that’s not my boy….
Kim had “auditioned” us as a possible couple interesting enough to watch, and they apparently found us rrrrrriveting. Yes, you should roll your “R”s there for effect.
Apparently our age difference was quite a draw. And the fact that I was a relationship coach and she was a high performance coach, was also quite interesting.
And let’s just face the facts here, together we are a frickin hoot!
Now the actual reality sits in that we are going to be on a “reality” show. And I for one have some misgivings about the whole shebang from the get go.
Like I said, most reality shows are far from “reality.” They are scripted for the most part, with some wide openings for a bit of coerced improv to instigate an argument, or some other drama to keep the watcher interested.
I have a very big problem with that. I call it lying. They call it show biz.
I have to give credit to the crew, they stayed fairly true to the story. They never coerced us into any big drama, and basically told our story, for the most part.
The interesting inner workings come from how they massage the message and the editing. It is not unlike how the mainstream media handles their “news” stories. They have a narrative, an agenda they want to propagate, and every piece of the story puzzle goes to support that narrative.
My main trepidation was, being made to look like a fool. I mean, I am happy to look like a total knucklehead at any given moment, but that is my choice and done under my parameters. And it’s usually pretty funny.
I expressed this concern from the very beginning to the producers and directors. They assured me that they would not be doing a “gotcha” type of show. So, I signed the contract, and prayed that this would be a good experience.
What I got was a lot harder than I expected.
Quick back story, I am a classically trained actor. I have a Baccalaureate Degree in the Honors Program as a Drama Major from the University of Houston. And, no, no one has ever asked to see it, if you were wondering.
I have been in theatre, on movie sets, and many productions, so I am quite familiar with the process. But on those sets, A) I had lines, and B) I was paid well.
In this situation, I did not, and was not. Okay, yes, I got paid…a teeny bit. Less than what a one hour coaching session with me costs. Definitely not on par with the hours and days of work that were to come.
Luckily I am of the mindset, all things are an adventure if you make it so. So it began.
We sat down with the producer, planned out all the angles, and set to crafting our story. It was not just the age difference they were interested in. They loved the fact that we were both coaches, so we were most definitely expected to be uplifting and positive.
It was both our first child. All the other dads had kids already of various ages. And there was one other angle to add a bit of drama (okay reeeeally pushing hard to add the drama, ANY drama), I had had my spine fused back in 2004, and I still had a lot of back pain. How that would be an issue for a father who needs to pick up a baby, became a central theme.
I know, pushing it a bit, right?
Don’t get me wrong, 20 years of pretty intense back pain is dramatic, but as a story line? Meh. And oddly enough, I found a cure for that back pain later. I’ll dish on that at the end.
Now I am starting to see their story arc, and I’m not thrilled.
“Old decrepit dad with hot young wife has baby he can’t even pick up.” Oy.
And then there’s the shoot schedule. It’s not crazy overwhelming mind you, but it was far more extensive than I was expecting. “Hey, you got 8 hours to kill with nothing else going on?” Uh, no. “How bout several of those days?” Uh, still, no. But, we agreed, so….
Oh, and we want to film the birth.
Uh, the what now?…