I am a big believer in advice. No matter what the situation, if there is somebody with more knowledge or experience, then I am happy to sit back and listen to any advice given.
So, I am lucky to know more than a couple of people, that before me have experienced the joys and pains of fatherhood and I recently started asking for their advice. My question was simple, If you could go back in time and give yourself ONE piece of advice, what would it have been?
Answers have so far ranged from..
“Let the woman do EVERYTHING”
“Be Yourself”
“Enjoy your time together NOW”
“Don’t refuse peoples help”
“Live and love every second! It flies by too quickly”
4 out of the 5 came from the same person, so as you can see, every time I ask somebody that question, I get a different answer, which goes to show everybody’s experiences differ.
So.....If you could go back and give yourself ONE piece of advice, what would it be? Let me know in the comment section below.
Trust your instincts!
ReplyDeleteYou will be amazed how naturally these instincts happen and how accurate they are. You will receive untold amounts of conflicting advice, but even though you havnt been there before you will both have strong feelings about things. The most important thing is the answer to all questions is what is best for you as a family.
Going to cheat and put second piece of advice.
Parenting is not a competition dont get caught up in the "my child did that at 6 months trap"
Cant' comment on fatherhood but can comment on parenthood - hope you don't mind me tagging along :-)
ReplyDeleteFirstly I would like to second what DaddyNatal has said - everyone will be more than happy to tell you how they dealt with a particular incident or event, but just because it was the right thing for that person doesn't mean it will the the right for you. There is a way that will work for you, you just need to find it together as a family.
Who said 'let the woman do it all'! I am a strong believer that raising a child should be a job for both parents. There are some things that maybe only mum can accommodate but there are plenty of things that both parents can do - bath time, bed time and just good old cuddles. Daddy time is a great opportunity for you to have some 1 on 1 time with baby and allowing you to get to know each other but it also gives mum a little reprive for a some me time - even if it is just a nice long soak in the bath with some nice smellies and some candles.
From my own experieince as a parent, let other people help. There will be plenty of people willing to help with babysitting duties and it is a great opportunity for you an mum-to-be to have some grown up time. Initially you will find yourself desperate to get back to baby, wondering if they have gone down okay, taken their feed etc. but it is a good opportuntiy for you as a couple to give each other 100% focus and have some grown up time doing some of the thing you enjoying now.
Thanks to you both for your comments.
ReplyDeleteDaddyNatal - I definatley understand tht no matter what peoples experiences are, every child is different and not to stress if my child doesnt do the same as others.
Shereen - I definatley believe in a 50/50 upbringing and I intend for us both to have a life after the birth.
Thanks again.
I realise the irony in saying that my advice is not to listen to advice, but If I could go back and tell myself one thing I would tell myself not to get hung up on all the advice people were so eager to share. I spent so much time worrying about setting up bad habits, what I should and shouldn't be doing, that I almost forgot to just kick back and enjoy it all.
ReplyDelete