Daniel Lubetzky

If someone had told me that I would enjoy changing diapers I would have thought they have very bad judgment.

But one month into being a Dad, it is my favorite activity of the day.

My attitude all along was that I’d deal with this chore and do what is minimally necessary.  As I work very hard for PeaceWorks & KIND, and for the Foundation’s OneVoice Movement, I figured I’d get a lot of latitude and support from my wife to avoid this task as much as possible.

Then baby Roman was born and changing diapers proved to be such a delicious activity.  You get to help your son, and that goes a long way – I think – to explain why I love doing it, just to care for him and help him with something he cannot do. It also doesn’t hurt that babies’ poop doesn’t smell when they are breastfeeding. (let’s see if this love affair with changing diapers lasts once he starts eating other food)

But I think it’s also because it is truly delicious – to clean his little tushy and rub Aquaphor over his soft chubby thighs (his "pulkes" in Yiddish), to just hug him and kiss him, and clean him, and comfort him.  Nature must have figured babies’ skin should be so deliciously smooth and tender that parents will love tending for them even if they have to wipe them clean eight times a day.

Indeed, second only to changing diapers is giving him a bath and changing his clothes.  Well, maybe that is even better, but not as surprising as the joy of seeing your baby poop and wiping it with gusto.  I also never imagined that my wife and I would derive so much joy from hearing someone pass gas or poop.  It’s such a celebration for us, "yes", "wonderful", as if he just got a dual degree in Medicine and Engineering.