Parents! I will be a father soon in October. I’m excited and nervous at the same time. Parents out there, what is the best experience about being a dad? What are some challenges you wish you had known before?

21 comments

1. Best experience is seeing them happy.

2. You get out what you put in. How enjoyable it is scales with your effort.

   Welcome aboard.

3. Best experience, to me, is that you’re a super hero to them up until about age 7. They look up to you and think you’re amazing. They think you’re the best dad in the world. The challenges come when they find out you’re human and fallible.

4. Get plenty of rest before. Sleeping with a new baby in the house, especially early on, can be very tough. One thing my wife and I did, was split up the night, so at the very least, we could both get a little bit of uninterrupted sleep. One of us would take anything before 2am, and one would take anything that happened after 2am. So if you normally sleep 10pm-6am, that gives each of you 4 hours of sleep, plus whatever you can catch in between the baby’s needs.

5. Establish your baby-stuff-glossary ahead of time. When our 1st was crying my wife yelled at me to grab the pappoy. I turned to look for it and then froze, turned back, and said, “The what?” My wife’s family calls a pacifier a “pappoy” for some reason.

   Best experience for me is getting to see them have fun, even if it’s without me. I just like watching them enjoy themselves.

6. Schools: you either send them to public schools to be indoctrinated with whatever that teachers “cause” is, or to home school tj gen and raise the most awkward kid ever.

7. The best part of having kids is getting to feel like a kid again yourself. You get to experience things through their eyes and they’re fresh and new and magical again. It’s great.

   As far as challenges nothing especially unexpected. The lack of sleep was more brutal than I thought it would be though.

8. Best part would be watching them grow. They learn so quickly.

   The obgyn adviced to not have PIV intercourse for 6 weeks after giving birth, but the ladybits were sore for longer. Being intimate and sexual active is possible, but getting things back to how it was before might take some effort.

9. For the first three or six months depending on the child. They do not sleep. They eat, poop and sleep in short bursts. The cycle is between 2-4hours. Give yourself and your partner a chance to sleep for more than 4 hours every few days even if they are breastfeeding. Don’t be surprised if your other half gets cranky.

10. Mum here of 23 and 18 year old.

    Best advice I can give you:

    – Don’t push your kids to be something they ain’t.

    – Accept them and their uniqueness and encourage them to do what they love.

    – be kind to yourself and your partner as parents. It’s hard work. Especially if one parent is home with kids all day.

    – love every minute when they are younger. It soon passes in the blink of an eye.

    – take no notice of the teenage years. Most teenagers are inconsiderate arseholes and grow out of it.

    Good luck, it’s hard work but worth it.

11. I gave a couple of daughters. One forty the other fortyfour. The best experience is the one that keeps on giving. If you’re a halfway decent human they still love you no mater what.

    P.s. the freaking grandkids are the real experience.

12. Shit I learned through trial and error.
    – I wasted a lot of money buying fancy baby crap. The only 2 items I got my money’s worth out of were the sling and the umbrella stroller. The rest of it was a waste.
    – Sleep with the baby in the bad. Everyone will sleep better and be happier this way. No, you won’t crush the baby, unless you’re blackout drunk.

13. I’m a father of 1yr old. He is great, seeing him learn new things, small and big is really fulfilling. We have it easy with him relatively to stories i hear and read.

    However the hardest part for me is that there is no break, no free weekend. Kid needs to be taken care of every single day, ideally you split it with your partner so both of you keep some of your hobbies going to keep you sane.

14. I felt the same way, but as soon as that baby is put in your arms and they look up at you. You won’t realize it but they just snatched your heart! I agree with everyone when they say you get what you put into it. I made my son a priority. Took him everywhere I could with me. It does nothing but keep getting better.

15. People will tell you all the positives. The challenges are mostly related to diminished free time and sleep deprivation. It helps to have family or support structures.

    I think the scariest part of fatherhood is that there is a solid minority of guys that never make it *click* and would be happier kid free. It’s impossible to know if you’re one of them until you’re in it.

16. Best experiences is their development and when they are happy.

    I didn’t realise just how hard it is to be patient when you are knackered and frustrated.

17. Sometimes women totally lose their minds. Also, related, some women have bad PPD. You won’t sleep much for a few months. There is nothing in the world like the feeling of your baby falling asleep on your chest.

18. I have two kids, one’s 2, the other’s a few months old.

    Be patient with yourself, your spouse, and especially your little one. It’s a haaaard time. The lack of sleep and lack of ‘normal’ life wears you down. Your hobbies and external relationships are harder to maintain with added responsibilities. Be a team with your spouse to make sure you each have your own personal free time, as well as time together.

    Live in the moment. The days are long but the weeks/months/years fly by. I felt myself wanting the time to just go faster when my first was <8months, but now I’ve learned that each stage is so special and fun for their own reasons, and all I want is to freeze time where my 2 year old is at now.

    Best experience is watching them learn and get excited about literally anything. Having her want to share her little world with me. Nothing is better than my daughter grabbing my hand and telling me a story while we run around doing whatever. Little hugs and I love you’s melt your heart. There’s no experience in the world that comes close to raising kids. Hard, but so worth it.

19. Hearing your kid laugh. Little kid laughter, whether giggles or full-body laughter from being tickled, is the most amazing sound in the world.

20. I had great time between 0-12… fuck teenagers.

21. Mine passed away. If you have anything bothering you, even back pain. Get it checked. It has a high chance of cancer.
    Do not pamper the kiddo. My sis was spoilt to the core and couldn’t turn back.
    If you have a tummy, let the kid lay on it . Stomach contact is the best est thingamajig