Man of steel and the parental martyrdom belt

When guests come to see me and the baby, my lovely wife likes to take every possible opportunity to verbally undermine the great sacrifices I make for the family. People will point out how tired we look, most often adding how terrible I, specifically, look, to which I respond with a detailed description of the horror that was the night before.

"But you were only up for eight minutes!" My lovely wife will screech.

I just roll my eyes and ask if I look like I was only up for eight minutes, thus publicly winning the ongoing battle for the great parental martyrdom belt.

But, of course, my lovely wife is right. After changing a diaper in the middle of the night, I generally last about 500 seconds before I collapse and wake my wife with those wonderful words, "I think he's hungry."

It would take a man of steel to last any longer. And I love my wife so much more, just knowing that we are in this together.

One day I might even let her try on the great parental martyrdom belt, not that it will fit as well as it fits me.