7 Things Every New Father Should Know

Fatherhood is a new experience, a new adventure, and like every other exhilarating endeavors out there, it comes with its own set of difficulties. And thus, even though it is quite not the easiest job, yet is a revelation that you cannot afford to miss for anything in a lifetime. Watching your kid grow from a mere baby bump to a full-fledged human being  is one of the most wonderful experiences that a man could ever have the chance to experience.

The road through the initial few months are albeit rocky and as realists would put it ‘the worst time of all’ but, looking back years later, you will find that these moments were the ones that were the most magical. Here are a few guiding steps to that magic carpet journey called “fatherhood”, which will make this one of your most treasured and enjoyable ones.

1. Participate in the action

In addition to the ‘very important’ task of  holding the camcorder to record the milestone events, the daddy also has to participate from day one in the active duty of helping the new mum tackle the bundle of joy that is the baby. Taking keen interest in what ticks on and off your kid will make you feel more involved and closer to your child and spouse than you ever thought was possible. For example, the tasks like preparing the baby formula, helping the baby to sleep off while your spouse takes a well earned bout of rest,and other small but important stuff like that will surely make you win the award for the best father.

2. Learn the basic steps

Attending a few baby classes for changing nappies, learning how to hold the baby in the correct way, or ways to soothe a crying baby – all before your child is born is going to make you ready to deal with your newborn in a better way. Moreover, parenthood is all about the  learning curve, you learn new stuff each day with your baby in tow. Seek an up-date on each day’s report on your kid’s developmental achievements when you return home from work or prolonged trips. This will help both your spouse and child feel cared for and loved by you!

3. Have one regular activity converted to daddy-time

For another cheap trick towards being the best dad on the block, ask your spouse how you can possibly help, and from there, try to make at least one regular activity as a basis for one-on-one daddy-time with your kid – like giving him or her the bath, or a few minutes of strolling around post-dinner, among other stuff. These little activities make for quality time spent in order to forge the very special father-son or father-daughter bond. As the years fly by, your child and you will always be reminiscing about this activity as your biggest bonding event ever. Moreover, it also helps your spouse find a time to relax and look after her own needs.

4. Parenting is not babysitting

It shouldn’t matter whether you are near or away from your kid, you should never treat fatherhood like a babysitting job – but as an experience of bringing forth your own child nurtured in the same care and love that you have probably got from your own parents. You should feel responsible for your kid, and maybe hold your kid close and whisper “you are mine”, in order to ensure that the little guy feels loved. In the light of the newly discovered fatherhood, you might even feel your surroundings ebb off and a feeling of love and warmth would  swathe over your regular mundane tensions. The constant strain of responsibility and duty towards your child is something which might  bother you initially, but with time, in the long run it will help you feel connected to your family and you will end up looking forward to spending quality time with them.

5. Take time out for appreciating your wife

As you keep attending to the office work that keeps you away, your wife at home keeps fighting a new battle everyday. Sometimes the effect is too overwhelming for her, and it might make her neglect her upkeep or beautification’s in order to accommodate the new addition to the family in her packed schedule. These are the times when you need to stand like a pillar of strength beside her, smother her with love and attention and tell her she looks beautiful no matter how much the baby pukes on her, or how many times she’d forgotten to properly tie up her hair in order to attend to the kid’s needs. It would boost her morale by leaps and bounds and also would calm her nerves and will end up making her feel relaxed which in turn would keep the surroundings cheerful and happy.

6. Patience, patience and more patience

Like all other aspects of life, the key to a happy and peaceful fatherhood is patience and unlimited patience. There are times when you will definitely feel like running out of it and feeling helpless and unable  can cope no further, but it is only fleeting. The thing is, it takes a while to learn the tricks of fatherhood, but staying calm and as cool as a cucumber, or trying to be cool at least will help tackle most situations better. And, if everything fails, fake it till you make it! Pretend that you’re cool, and the calm will follow suit.

7. Binge on a time-out

A time-out for both you and your wife for a few hours will not make you look like evil villains as much as you think it would. Moreover, It would only help restore the remaining sanity for both of you. And believe it or not, your wife will thank you immensely for it some day. If you have your parents or your spouse’s parents living close by, take a few hours to drop off your kid with them and take your wife out for a dinner date or maybe a stroll by the beach – or even just lounging at the backyard idly would do. The first time, you guys will be strung with major anxiety pangs – coming especially from your wife, but that will be set in a pattern of relaxing and refocusing soon enough. This maneuver will also be the root towards keeping your relationship with your wife healthy in the light of the challenges and hardships of parenthood and recharge you both for parenthood all the better.