The golfer Ross Fisher faced a tough dilemma last weekend. He was leading the British Open championship and his wife was due to give birth.
He had a private jet on standby to fly him from the course in Ayrshire to his wife's side in Surrey if she went into labour.
The 28-year-old pro said he was prepared to drop everything to be at the birth - even if that meant giving up the chance to win the tournament, and £750,000.
Fortunately, it never came to that. He finished 13th in the end, and she managed to hold off any labour twinges until the tournament was completed.
But if you were his wife, would you have wanted him to give up the chance of winning - and more importantly all that money - to come and hold your hand?
I think I would have told him not to be so daft and to get out there and win the cash for the baby.
Apparently that's more or less what his missis said. Joanne, 23, said in the Mirror: "I told him to stay and play golf, but he wanted to see our baby born."
But Fisher was determined. He said: "I'm determined to do the right thing, and that means being at the birth of our first child. Family comes first. It's simple."
Don't get me wrong, my husband was great at the birth of our daughter. But given the choice between £750,000, and having him there... well. I think I might have been able to cope.
For future reference, I'd better make it clear that if he wanted to miss the birth in order to watch Spurs in a cup final, for example, I'd be less impressed.
But if Fisher had missed out on winning that tournament, I bet the "what might have been" would have niggled away at him, however amazing it is being present at the birth of your baby.
Do you think there is ever any excuse for missing the birth of your child? Or should the father always try to be there?