So, now that I've crossed over to the other side, I finally understand why it is that parents, especially new ones, can't seem to talk about anything but their children. It's not that they've become obsessive personalities overnight. Nope, they're just brainwashed. Literally.
Think about it. The parents of a newborn are subjected to a variety of stimuli that rather closely resemble some interrogation techniques. First there is the chronic sleep depravation, and what sleep does come arrives in little bits, regardless of circadian rhythms. Plus, they probably aren't getting out much, so add a dollop of Seasonal Affective Disorder as well. Then they are expected to perform a variety of (occasionally complex) unfamiliar tasks, with little or no warning or instruction. They are spurred on by a desire to avoid The Voice, a devastating siren evolved over millennia to instantly shred the human nervous system (and no-doubt genetically tuned to resonate particularly with the parents). It's a sort of "anti-tribble" effect. Just for fun, the voice also goes off randomly every once in a while as well. All this is accompanied by periodic exposure to a variety of noxious fluids, and a hormonal assault on Mom to rival the mother of all PMS.It's not parental obsession, it's Stockholm Syndrome. Their addled little brains just literally can't think of anything else.
