There are countless resources for women to prepare for being a mother, but who helps expecting fathers get ready for the single biggest catalyst they'll ever know? Every guy needs to plan well in advance for these five major changes.
By Barack Levin
Congratulations. You are going to be a dad. Your life is about to change, but do you really know what you've got yourself into? Are you even slightly prepared to be a good father?
Here are 5 tips that will help you prepare.
1. Your Free Time – Be ready, you will no longer have any.
Your time from now on will revolve around your baby. There are so many chores and tasks involved with a baby that you can simply forget about relaxing on the sofa and watching your favorite football game.
Instead of fighting it, simply accept the fact that from now on you need to dedicate your free time to the baby.
2. Patience – Being a good dad is all about patience.
A baby requires that you dedicate plenty of time for him, play with him, feed him, rock him on your hands, sing to him and more. You can not hurry a baby to finish his bottle of formula only because you do not have the time to be with him or force him to go to sleep instantly because you are late for something.
You need to be very patient with your child and with time you will see that your behavior contributed to his well being and his normal development.
3. Schedule – Be prepared to lose control over your schedule.
If you were thinking that you will be able to squeeze some “baby time” into your schedule you were wrong, very wrong. There is no way that you can control his schedule especially in the first year; so instead, you need to have your schedule revolve around your baby’s schedule. You will need to complete your tasks when he is asleep or when he is with your wife or relatives.
4. Efficiency – Because you have no more free time and you do not control your schedule, it means that you have very little time for yourself.
You need to learn how to become efficient with your time. Try to make lists so that when you have some free time, you can accomplish as many things as possible. When you care for the baby, try to also be efficient and productive to shave a few minutes here and there to help you cope with your daily routine.
5. Help Your Wife – Whether you like it or not, your wife will probably choose to be in charge of many baby related things.
You might agree and you might not but the most important thing here is help her with the baby. Feed, change, put to sleep and play with the baby without offering or being asked to. Suggest helping with the house chores, shopping, cleaning and cooking. Your wife is going through some rough times and she needs your help and support more than ever.
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Barack Levin is a Parenting Coacher and the author of The Diaper Chronicles – stay at home dad’s quest for raising great kids, based on his experience’s, available through his website at http://www.baracklevin.com |
