Essay
My first year as a dad
My daughter’s first birthday is fast approaching and as my wife and I start to think about how we’ll celebrate her first trip around the sun, I’ve been reflecting a lot on being a dad.
It’s a bit cliche, but over the past 12 months there have been plenty of highlights, a few lows, and lots of laughter and tears.
Not to mention a ton of dirty diapers.
Parenting is a lot more challenging than I expected. But it’s also a lot more fun than I ever imagined it would be.
For the benefit of parents-to-be, or maybe for the enjoyment of parents whose children have already graduated from the baby stage, here are a few things I’ve learned:
Time has no meaning.
From the beginning, we’ve done our best to establish a consistent bedtime and eating schedule for our daughter and I would say we’ve mostly been successful. But I’ve come to realize that no matter how much you try to keep things running on schedule, a baby is always ready to throw your best-laid plans out the window. So if the little one decides that 4 a.m. is playtime, you’d better get the coffee started because your sleep is officially canceled.
Moods can change like the weather.
Often I’ll be playing with my daughter and sharing some laughs when suddenly she throws a fit. Babies have a lot of needs and I quickly learned that if one of those needs is not being met, they’ll tell you. So enjoy playtime while it lasts, because you never know what the next minute might bring.
Always be prepared.
For such a little person, my daughter certainly knows how to eat. One of the most common causes of the mood swings I mentioned above is hunger. So whenever we’re out with her, we always make sure to have an extra snack ready just in case. Of course, this also applies to diapers, clothes, wet wipes, you name it. You never know when disaster might strike!
Enjoy each little moment.
My daughter has gone through so many different phases in her short life. For example, before she learned to crawl, she decided she would try to fly. With her belly on the floor, she’d let out a roar and throw her arms out in front of her like Wonder Woman. It was very cute, but eventually she learned how to crawl and she gave up on trying to fly. For that reason, I’m grateful for smartphones and the ability to capture many of these little moments on camera, because it won’t be long before that cute thing she does is a thing of the past.(Joel Tansey)
20220930-06x.mp3 - Google ドライブ
