I just got back from sitting in the nursery for a few minutes. I originally went into the room to get an idea for how big of a rug we need in there, but I decided to sit on the rocker for a moment and take it all in.
The room was completely still and I was surrounded by bags of baby clothes, toys, blankets, stuffed animals, and other baby-related items. I sat there and looked at the crib. In several weeks our son will be laying down in there and I began to think: In several weeks my life will have a new meaning. In several weeks it won’t be about Jane and I any longer, it will be all about our son.
How does one prepare to be a father? The question danced around my mind as I rocked in the chair.
I already know Jane is going to be a great mom. I can easily picture her sitting in the chair, rocking our son as she feeds and talks to him. She’ll be a natural mom, as I assume most woman are after battling those often wild and crazy pregnancy hormones.
But for us fathers-to-be, does it become natural the moment our baby is born?
How does one prepare to be a father?
The days of the nursery being silent are nearing an end. Soon there will be sounds of our baby crying, laughter from us as we watch him make faces, and commotion when our friends and family come over to visit our newest member of our family.
Life is about to dramatically change. And for many life-changing events in our lives, we don’t have the chance to prepare for them. Sometimes things just happen. Although having a baby right now wasn’t planned, we’ve had the last 34 weeks of Jane’s pregnancy to prepare. We’ve prepared the nursery, we’ve prepared what we can around the house, and we’ve prepared by stocking up on baby items.
Jane’s body is preparing to deliver our son into this world. Her hormones have prepared her body physically and mentally and she’s ready to become a mom.
But how does one prepare to be a father?
I stood up from the chair and walked over to the crib. ”Everything is about to change“, I said. I then remembered my father telling me that a love for a child is the most powerful force in the world. There is no way to describe it; the only way to know it is to feel it.
And it was at that moment that a realization came to me.
The best way I can prepare to be a father is to get ready to feel a love I’ve never felt. A love that is unmatched by anything else in this world. A love that bonds people together forever. A love that can only be experienced between a parent and a child.
And in several weeks from now, I’ll experience that love first-hand. Jane and I both will – and it’s amazing that we’ll be experiencing that love together.
As I walked out of the nursery, I turned around and looked in the room and paused before I turned off the light.
How does one prepare to be a father?
Love.
P.S… I have added Jane’s Pregnancy Week By Week Pictures page with recent photos.
You might also want to read:
- Another father-to-be realization: Learning the sex of our baby makes things REAL.
- Father-to-be ramblings about Dadalings and soon to be happenings
- Pregnant Thoughts From A Soon-To-Be Father
- Pregnancy Week 23 Pregnant Belly Picture And Yes, Tarzan Is Here.
- 16 weeks pregnant father: Sympathy pains, mood swings, 5,000 Twitter followers, and what in the heck am I reading?
I'm about to be a dad in 6 months....not sure if I'll be ready when that time comes
- spam
- offensive
- disagree
- off topic
Like