Before becoming a parent, your time is your own. Sure you may go to a 9-5 or have a set workout schedule, but you created it. You control your time. It is yours.
However, once you become a dad, your kids will require much of your time. Those hours spent playing Fortnite must be reduced, my friend. They now come second to those blowout diaper changes. When it is a all-hands-on-deck situation, that means dropping the controller, even if you are a minute from a win.
But your kids deserve that time. You deserve that time with them. And as they grow to love you so you will grow to love time with them.
The loss of time and the loss of “freedom” that comes along with becoming a father is replaced by a greater joy. Many joys, in fact.
Here are just some of the joys of fatherhood you have to look forward to:
- Seeing your child copy you for the first time. Seeing that little piece of you in them.
- The excitement that you feel when your child learns something new for the first time.
- When your child gets excited when you walk into a room.
- When out of all of the people in the room, your child reaches for you.
- Learning to appreciate the little things. This is as simple as witnessing your child enjoy a food for the first time or being enthralled at the sight of a bird.
- People admiring what a smart kid you have. Being proud that you had a hand in that.
- When you see them succeed at something they have been struggling with. Seeing your child perservere and succeed is amazing.
- Hearing your kid say, “I love you, dad”.
Nothing will ever prepare you for how tiring and how hard this whole parenting is. But no one can ever explain how rewarding and amazing it is either. With great joy comes great responsibility.
At the end of the day, you remember those little joys and the small wins. The joys of fatherhood start when you see that your baby has your eyes, continues when they mimic you for the first time, and on and on.
What an amazing thing to literally create the change you want to see in the world. With each day that passes we are given a new opportunity to help our little person grow into their own unique, amazing human being. It also doesn’t hurt when they belly laugh at your fart impressions either.
Oh, to be a father.