Weiner’s recent recklessness, sending a photo of his bulging undershorts to all his Twitter followers instead of just one, may be a byproduct of the news of his impending fatherhood. Studies have shown that few things have as big an impact on marriage as children.

Usually that impact is strongest after the child is born, but for some guys, especially those who have been long used to their independence or who had less happy childhoods, the specter of an infant — a big bundle of needs and vampire of a time-suck — can be unsteadying.

But there’s a bit of a gap between being unsteady and being spectacularly reckless, and it’s clear Weiner liked to play pass-the-package before he knew that he’d have to make some adjustments to his health insurance.