Speaking from experience, becoming a father is truly the most humbling and magical experience imaginable. It truly is a miracle each time. Whilst sometimes stressful, there is no happier time. It soon became clear though that when they arrive they don’t come with a guidebook and there are certain aspects that I just hadn’t considered.
Here I will share these with you so that at least you can be slightly more prepared than I was.
1. Make sure your finances are in order BEFORE the baby arrives
OK, so I know this sounds obvious but organizing your finances prior to the birth will make for a less stressful time afterward. Children are generally very taxing on our finances, so making sure that we have organized our credit and know when extra bills are coming out will certainly take the strain off a bit. The best way I found to do this was to make a monthly budget breakdown that took into account all my spending up until the due day.
There were certainly times when we needed extra money especially when buying cots and baby clothes, etc. This often had a direct impact on our bills and outgoing before our next paydays, so I decided to utilize Dollars Direct to help stretch my finances out until payday.
2. Prepare to be amazed
When you become a father no one tells you of the journey of wonderment you are about to undergo! You will revert back to your childhood when you see your baby take their first step, say their first word, or build their first Lego house. They will never stop amazing you, but no one will have told you just how proud you will feel.
3. You will cry, a lot
If you believe you are a strong man who never cries, then have kids and just try to stop crying. You will cry at the birth, when they arrive home, when they say their first words, and the list goes on and on. All of a sudden you will become a ball of emotion, which is certainly not in any of the handbooks.
4. Baby Proofing is a lot harder than it looks
There are so many kinds of safety equipment available to protect our little ones; it’s a confusing decision to make. But it doesn’t end there, you then need to drill holes in everything you own, fix fastenings, and cover up holes all over the shot. You will need to look at everything from your baby’s point of view, so crawling around on the floor is the best way. Not only will you spend a lot of time worrying about small things that could potentially be dangerous, you will undoubtedly stub fingers, bruise your knees, and bang your head a couple of times!
5. You will have a new found respect for your parents
Prior to your little one appearing, I am sure you will be listing all the things that your parents did and didn’t do and swearing that you will never do them. Turns out you will do them over and over again.
Another thing that you will realize is how hard your parents worked to bring you up. All the good times and hard times you will experience as a father will show you just how similar you are to your parents and why, sometimes, you simply just got on their nerves.
(*Father and son photo via Shutterstock)
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