First-time Dad
When I think back to the times I shared with my father as a child, I got so much joy from doing the simple things with him, odd jobs around the house, fishing, holidays, playing sport and just hanging out. My simple wish is that my son Oscar will enjoy doing the same things with me.
Having a child is not an easy experience. With all the sleepless nights, dirty nappies, illnesses, hospital trips and food-choking episodes, it will certainly test your parental resolve and your relationship with your partner. But the joy in watching and sharing in my son’s development over the first 12 months far outweighs and helps erase the memory of any of the hard times. The joy of watching my boy say ‘daddy’ for the first time, start to crawl, throw a ball, try to walk, and laugh at his dad’s crazy songs have been just some of the highlights.
The sense of pride and the protective instinct that comes with having a child is a strange and empowering feeling that becomes a part of you 24/7. The love for your child is something so completely different from the love for your family or your partner. It is not any better or worse but such a different love that it has to be experienced to be truly understood. The smile my little man gives me when I am coming home from work each day or returning from a business trip warms my heart and reminds me of this love. I only hope and pray that my son has the same privileges I did growing up and that I can be as good a father to him as my own was to me. One of my greatest joys will be to see my son become a father and for him to experience this love for his own child.
I look forward to meeting my second child – after a short negotiation phase with my beautiful wife.
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