What's it like being a parent?

Question

My partner is 5 Months pregnant and im wetting my self at the prospect of being a Daddy.

How do you cope? What do you do?

Answer 1

You adapt.
You love.
You learn to be patient.
When they smile at you your entire world flips and you feel like you are everything.
You become more and less tolerant - more tolerant of what your child does and less tolerant of the weirdos in society.
You are watchful.
You learn to live on less sleep.
You finally put someone else above you - they are the priority.
This one small person has the power to hurt you more than anyone else ever could and YET can make you feel more loved and in love than anything else.

IT IS WONDERFUL. enjoy it.

Answer 2

Being a parent , is the best and most rewarding thing i have ever done in my life ! In a very short time , you will be looking into your babys eyes for the first time . I don't really know how to explain the feeling you get , but remember that the baby will be a part of you forever ! When you first see your child , it is truely love at first sight! It is like nothing else you will ever experience in your life . That is unless you have more children later on .
Then as you watch your baby grow , and get to see all of the sweet and wonderful things that they will do ...
It will sometimes just bring a tear to your eye , and you'll wonder how you ever could have had to live without them.
They will truely be one of the few people in your life , that will love you always & no matter what .
Eventually , you will come home from work one day so tired , and your baby will come running screaming Daddy--Daddy & run and jump on you with a big hug, and lots of little kisses . And you just know , that everything that you have to do , to take care of your child , it's all worth it ! All of the loss of sleep , all of the worring , all of the working real hard so that they can have things. But , when you start to wonder why you have to do all of those things for .... Your child will pop up and do the cutest thing , and you will be reminded---> that that is what it is all about!
Being a parent , is a wonderful life lesson , and a beautiful experience to be lucky enough to get to go through ! So , hold onto your child , guide and protect them. Teach them the lessons that they will need to learn to grow up and be a decent person ! But , let them be themselves , and love them for whoever they are always !!!

Answer 3

It's the best thing ever. It can be hard at times, but all the sleepless nights and stress are worth it. I have a 3 year old and I wouldn't change her for the world. There's not really any advice I can give you, once you have the baby in your arms, you'll know straight away what to do, the love you feel is so over whelming,trust me though, it's alot easier than you imagine, I did brought mine up pretty much by myself,and i coped. But if you ever get the feeling that,"this isn't as much fun as I imagined" Don't panic I had that exact feeling and so did most of the other mums and some of the dads in the parent and baby club I went to, it's normal.Congratulations by the way : )

Answer 4

How do you cope??? You just do and you just get on with it. Yes you'll make mistakes, and you'll do things right. Hopefully your own parents raised you in a proper way and you can put that into your own experience.

Don't try and be your child's friend, they will have enough of those, be a parent, and guide your child towards making the right choices. Teach your child to have respect for you and others around him or her, place a great importance on education and not celebrity, its sad that these days people place more value on being a singer/actor/footballer than a teacher or doctor.

I'm sure you and your partner will make great parents, feel the fear and then embrace it, its what makes you a good parent, relax too much and they'll end up in jail/on drugs/pregnant etc.

Good luck for the rest of the pregnancy, birth and beyond!

Answer 5

I love Charlotte's answer. She is right it is great and it is sad and you learn and you learn and then you learn some more. Sometimes you teach them and some times they teach you and when all is said and done you realize you are the luckiest person in the world because you were a parent. The only thing that tops being a parent is being a grand parent. I am a 59 year old grandmother and I wouldn't have changed anything in my life or the lives of my children. I had 3 and my son died at the age of 40 and now I can look back and say thank you Lord for all of the good and bad times we all had. No parent should have to bury their own child but if the child had a full and fruitful life then what ever God demands of us we accept.

Answer 6

First I would like to say that it is no easier to raise children whether you are married or not. I am a mum of 2 boys and my partner is useless. The best thing you can do as a dad while your baby is tiny is to be there for your partner, give her a break when she needs it. Babies are pretty boring usually. You will need to be patient. It is great being a parent and there is no right way to do it. You just go along with the baby. I would recommend doing whatever you are told by your partner at least for the first few months!

Answer 7

well for me i am a stay at home married mother to a 4 year old son. I have been home with my son from day one. It is hard at times but if i didn't have the help of my son's father (hubby) at times i would go insane.
He got up with him in the middle of the night to feed him when he was a baby, he changed diapers and all the baby stuff that has to be done and he would do this after working 14 hour shifts.

He is such a good daddy. He gets right down with him in the dirt and plays rock trucks with him.

Being a parent is the toughest job in the world... I loved my husband so much and i thought i couldn't love anyone any stronger than i do him but when my son was born that changed. My son comes first in my eyes and the same goes for my husband towards our son that way as well.

Sometimes you do need a break. In the beginning it is like everyone wants to babysit but that is the time you want your child all to yourself but later on when they get bigger it is like you can't find a babysitter. In my sons entire life i have only been away from him maybe 5 times and that was going to the mall or when i was in the hospital.

Nothing will be about you anymore..Everything will be about your baby. It takes alot in raising a child and it is expensive.

Be a good daddy cause there are so many that isn't. Your child will look up to you like a hero if you are there for them.

All you need is love. Congrats on your all"s upcoming arrival and i am sure you both will do good at being parents.

P.S. tell your girlfriend when she is in the hospital to take all the painkillers they offer her

Answer 8

You will be tired and amazed when baby comes along, you will feel that your whole world has been turned upside down but will somehow carry on. Your baby will be the most precious thing you could ever imaginee. Forget all those loves songs and notes to girlfriends, they don't mean s**t anymore, this is real love.

You will worry about every little change in her face, panic about how much/little she poohs. Stress at every little rash.

You will fight with your partner like never before because of the worry this little joy puts you under. You will cope, you will be stronger together.

You will try to keep one step ahead of your baby but become very lost as they change from day to day. You will want to protect her yet want her to learn to look after herself.

You will want to give him everything you can but will worry that you might spoil him.

You will need to talk. Talk everything through with your partner. Twice a week have a glass of wine/beer/cocoa and talk through everything.

She will think she is doing more and you will think you are doing more.
You are both doing all you can,

Work part time if you can, these are the best times and you will never get them back.

Rub cocoa oil into the bump each night, you will learn to feel every inch of you child before they get to meet you face to face. Mum will love it too.

Don't panic.

Answer 9

Dude! it's awesome! The first year you get to change narly diapers from hell. (Be sure to do this, you will hate it, but your wife will appreciate it and you will never regret doing it, and you will remember it forever) Your car and house will smell of baby. You get to wake up at the wee hours of the night to crying. They will spit up or throw food. They will wet on your shirts.

And then they you move into the stage they dart off like a bullet and they get into everything. ADVICE: Learn to think what your baby is thinking. Once you learn what body language means what, you will be on top of everything and it will save you a lot of running and chasing.

And you know what? You will love every moment of it. Esp the time when they fall asleep in your arms. or when the come in and wake you up on sat morning using you as the new hot wheels track.

Then they get a little older and you get to play with toys again!!! Remember the days of Legos??? This is the point when your excited to see your kid grow up cause you can start showing them how to big kid stuff like fishing, and model cars, and sports.

Relax dude. Your world is about to be turned upside down. Like everythig else, you will adjust.

And then you find yourself at the Chevy dealer looking at the Corvette but buying a mini-van.

Oh one thing you need to know and expect. Your wife loves you. But you will feel rejected after the baby arrives. Give her time to get use to the baby. She won't stop loving you, she just turns her focus to the baby. This is a good thing. This is where she will be like, "don't you have something in the garage to do" She will ask this because the trash needs to go out and since your on your way in that direction, might as well take it.

However, if you have a son, don't make the same mistake every single dad in history has mad. Be sure to let him know that Mowing the yard and taking out the trash is a permanent fixture in life. You never get out of it. it is always there. And you think taxes and death are bad.

Congrats on the baby!

Answer 10

Congrats,Being a parent is the greatest.I wouldnt change anything.To see the little person that you and your spouse made.My husband was like you.All the questions would come up.Am I going to be a good father?Will I beable to support my family?Am I ready for this?Just take it easy.When you are going to get to hold the baby for the first time,its like nothing else is going to matter.Having that little person looking up to you for advice and loving you.Thats the best gift in the world.The first steps he/she will take,the first words and the little hugs you get when you down and out.All I can say is.Be there for your child.Its the greatest gift that anyone can receive.Its always the little things that get you in the end.Also enjoy,all the moments you can with them,because they dont stay small for long.I ready when my daughter was born.She is almost 1.Doesnt seem that long ago.Try to relax.Everything will be ok.I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 11

i am mum to a 17 month old girl and i have to say it is the hardest job in the world,with no breaks or holidays allowed!!
i wanted a baby so bad and i was prepared,i've been around babies my whole life as i have a huge family,but when it's your own,it's a whole different story.
my daughter is the best thing to happen to me but some days you just want to be alone or have a nap,i have not had one nights full restful sleep since i had her because i'm constantly aware that she may wake up and need me,i have only spent one night away from my daughter since i had her,i was offered all the help in the world from my mum and my sisters but reality is they have lives of their own to get on with,the truth is you cope because you have to,you have this tiny little person who depends on you for everything,so you don't have time to worry you just get on with it,
i love every moment with her and she makes me
laugh and smile so much,but you do need alot of patience,i love it that i have someone who loves me unconditionally,it changes every aspect of your life but you will soon forget what your life was like before your baby came along,my life now has a meaning.
i wish you and your partner good luck and best wishes.