My wife is just weeks away from giving birth to our third child. My wife, she’s the strongest person I know, if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t be a dad. So it’s fitting she gets a nod before I go any further. Thanks, hun.
I didn’t plan on having three kids by the time I was 30. Like with most things I went with the flow, whatever happens, happens, which turns out to be a great piece of advice when becoming a dad. Whatever holy person said patience is a virtue, was right.
Finding your groove as a dad takes a while. There’s lots of panicking and frustration in the beginning. What you have to tell yourself is wait for the day your kid can take the trash out or walk the dog. Until then all you can do is be patient and give your kid all the love you can, which can be difficult, too. Some think there’s an endless supply of love, but that stuff runs dry if you’re not spending your time wisely. You can’t just be two-dimensional Dad all the time, sometimes the situation calls for being Cool Dad or Fun Dad. You’ll find out there’s lots of dads for various situations. Once you get a handle on those, the love will flow.
My wife has three siblings and I’m an only child. I thought we’d stop after one kid, seeing as that’s how I grew up, but unlike my parents who were satisfied with just having me, I felt like I was being called to the church and succumbed to the feeling birds get when they head south. My wife and I were tuned into the same frequency and out came kid number two, which was good, we had one girl and one boy, they had each other to play with and the boy could mean the family line could continue.
A few years later, that signal came back, those waves in the air that make you approach your wife, who just finished her new diet and dropped 30 pounds, and say to her “I think we should have another baby.”
After two kids the worry I had when I first started out as a parent is all gone. I know now all I’ll I need to survive is a fresh pack of diapers and duct tape. Just hose the kid down, strap it to your chest and go back to work.
A few years back I lost my job and at the time my wife wasn’t working. We had to scramble and find stable ground, especially for our children. The lessons my kids taught me, to go with the flow, helped get me through a depressing time. Having them, having little lives that depended on me gave me purpose. I learned that all that really matters is that they’re OK. Now we have stable ground again, and maybe that has played a part in having kid number three.
This Father’s Day I’ll probably give my dad what I always get him: a phone call. I’ll spend the day with my kids while my wife works. Maybe we’ll play video games or watch a movie or maybe I’ll have to go work upstairs in my office (and think about all the fun stuff I can’t wait to show baby number three). All I know is whatever happens, happens.
