After baby arrived, I’m certain I do not need to say life changed considerably.
The months leading up to becoming parents for the first time were completely different. We spent hours studying parenting books, attending talks having conversations, agreements and disagreements. We spent so much time trying to get ready and soon realised can’t ever be 100% prepared!
BBD days (Before Becoming Dad) I did things largely for myself. Everything I wanted out of life and work was largely centred on me. Now, I assess the value of everything. Will it add value to my family’s life? Will my family be positively or negatively affected by it?
I’ve always been a questioning and reflective person, that hasn’t changed. Now however, I have an increased awareness of wanting to be a better version of myself because I have two little people watching me every day.
Thankfully I don’t have to do this alone. I don’t know how my wife does it but, she runs a business, runs the household, cooks, manages my diary and is so active in the girls’ development and care. Our relationship has also changed. We have had to become more deliberate about ensuring our conversations are about more than parenting or business. I take her out on dates and we talk about everything we had always been passionate about. She is a mother now, but she was always my best friend and wife.
Of course I also play my part but I never imagined I would be brushing curly black hair or that I would take pride in styling it into lovely locks just like my wife showed me. But I’m doing it!
I want to give my girls, what is in my opinion, the best life possible. I want them to tap into their imaginations and think big, but balance it with a sense of reality. I want them to know that they create the world they live in by choosing the paths they want to follow, and who they let into their lives.
Absolutely nothing can prepare you for the overwhelming love you feel for your children. But someday I would like my girls to say they had the best examples for absolutely everything in us as their parents.
