Fatherhood is a role I’ve always wanted to experience.
I wondered, but couldn’t know exactly how it would play out for me. I imagined myself as the characters in some of my favorite films. Was I going to be “Mr. Mom,” wrestling rogue appliances, juggling chores and putting out fires at every turn? Or would I be more of a “Clark Griswold,” that lovable screw-up dad that never really got anything right, but still always ended up the hero? Those character’s fatherly roles helped shaped my ideas of fatherhood and left me wondering… what’s it really like?
Hollywood over-dramatization aside, the truth is not all that far from the fiction. New fatherhood often is a slapstick affair. Bizarrely laughable situations pop up at every moment. It really can feel like you are the ringleader for some insane family circus when you’re responsible for providing for your family, running a home business, taking care of daily chores, keeping your child alive and somehow trying to pay the bills and feed yourself a decent meal in between spit-up takes.
I have come to the conclusion that taking on the role of fatherhood is all about attitude, and choosing where to place your energy and your focus. Learning to juggle and appreciate the small things during this crazy time, is essential. As is the ability to laugh at yourself!
The other key to a successful transition to new fatherhood is knowing how and when to simplify. Simplifying is huge. You need to find those little tricks of the trade, the confidence boosting life-hacks that work for you and help get you through the day. I’m talking stuff like:
- The washcloth trick for holding a soapy baby in the shower
- The fine art of the supermarket-parking-lot speedy car-trunk diaper change
- The signature bounce that gets your kid to sleep
These are the tips for busy dads that make fatherhood more than doable. They make you feel like a super hero! You got this, Dad.
Want to know another one of my super hero secrets? A great baby monitor, like this one from VTech.
Naptime, for me, is the few sacred hours in a day when I can stop my crazy juggling and get stuff accomplished all while keeping my eyes and ears on my little one. I’m loving VTech’s Safe&Sound Baby Monitor with high resolution video and audio quality. I have no clue how people managed to get things done before video was added to baby monitors!
Since VTech’s baby monitor works up to 1,000 feet from the camera I can go everywhere in my house, garage and yard and still have a clear video image, quality audio sound and peace of mind. The parent unit can even support up to four cameras, letting me keep an eye on the baby from the monitor whether she is in her room, the den or living room.
Being a dad is a role that shapes and changes over the years. There is plenty of screwing up followed by just as many, if not more, moments where you get to save the day. Those are the best moments, but some comedy is inevitable.
The Hollywood dads had it right. By the end of every movie they always seemed to figure out how to balance the little things,knowing which ones to let roll of your back and which ones to truly savor and appreciate.
Sometimes you just gotta laugh at yourself and keep going!
Thanks to VTech for sponsoring this post, all opinions are my own
Amazing! i love it.