Your favorite team finally made it to the Super Bowl after all these years. It’s the opening kickoff, and your team won the toss so they’ll receive first. The ref blows the whistle, the football goes high into the air, and then…
At that moment, when the football first goes into play during the biggest game of the season… no the biggest game of the past decade… you’re a mix of emotions. You’re excited. You’re nervous. They just HAVE to win the game. What if they don’t?
Finding out that you’re going to be a new dad can have that same effect on you. You’ll be exited and nervous at the same time. You’ll have doubts.
“Will I be a good dad?”
“Will my wife* be okay?”
“Can I afford this?”
“How is my life going to change when the baby comes?”
You aren’t the first guy to feel overwhelmed…
Don’t feel bad. You aren’t the first guy to feel overwhelmed when you first found out that you’re going to be a father.
The key is knowing what to do next. How do you prepare for the baby? How can you best support your wife? What do you need to do to be a great dad?
I believe that every guy has the ability to be their kid’s super hero! You just have to have the right tools and abilities to make it happen.
The New Dad’s Survival Guide
This is the first post in the New Dad’s Survival Guide series. In this series, I’ll cover all the various aspects of being a new dad. Everything from how to support your wife, to what you need to buy, to the best way to change stinky diapers.
Before we get into all of that, though, there is one thing that is the most important survival tip of all.
This is something you absolutely NEED to know if you want to be your kid’s super hero.
Time
Yeah I know, we hear this so much that it’s almost cliché, but it’s true. The best thing you can do is to devote the time it takes to be a super dad.
- You need to spend time with your pregnant wife.
- You need to spend time preparing to be a great dad.
- You need to spend time with your kid.
Being a super dad… takes a lot of time and practice.
Any professional athlete will tell you that the difference between talent and greatness is time. An athlete will hone their skills by spending hours practicing and working out. The great ones are the first in the gym every morning and the last to leave.
Being a super dad also takes a lot of time and practice. You might remember that GI Joe helicopter you did or didn’t get for Christmas when you were a kid, but I bet your most special memories are the times you spent doing stuff with your dad. Time is the key ingredient in those memories.
But what about money?
I know you’re going to want to do everything you can to provide the very best for your new baby. We’ll be covering money quite a bit in the New Dad’s Survival Guide, but for now just know that it doesn’t take a lot of money to be a super dad and raise a great kid.
It doesn’t take a lot of money to be a super dad and raise a great kid.
The Minnesota Twins consistently have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, and yet they’re always in the hunt for the pennant. You don’t need to work long hours so you baby has a designer high chair. Your kid will still be able to eat from a less expensive one.
The key thing that can’t be bought is your time. This doesn’t mean you have to feel obligated to spend every ounce of free time with your wife and kid. But you make sure to be there as much as you can. That is the best way to support your wife and prepare yourself to be a great dad. It’s also the best way to be a super dad when the baby is born.
Summing it up…
So dads—get used to being called that btw—it’s time to do the right thing.
First, go and tell your wife how much you love her. Tell her that you want to be a super husband and dad.
Then tell her that you want to spend some time with her, and that you want to spend quality time with the baby when he or she is born.
Trust me, you won’t regret it.
*In this blog I will often refer to the mother of your child as your “wife,” although I understand that she may not actually be your wife. Please substitute the word “wife” with whatever is appropriate for you.
Tags: Money, The New Dad's Survival Guide, Time
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