For the first few months of my son’s life, my husband had a hard time taking care of him. My son would cry a lot whenever my husband would hold him. More than likely it was because I was the one who took care of him 20 hours out of the day. Being the sole caregiver began to take it’s tole on me and our household. I didn’t have time to do anything until after my son’s bedtime. You can only cut into your sleep so much before things start to fall apart. We finally made a decision that my son was just going to have to learn to like daddy. My husband agreed to watch him all by himself for an hour or two each night after work. The first week was really hard. The second week was much better. After a few weeks, I noticed my son would light up when my husband got home from work. “Daddy time” has become an important part of our day. It’s my time to write my families blogs and get other things done, but more importantly, it’s an opportunity for my husband and my son to bond.
Sometimes dads are little apprehensive about caring for their newborn children. Unfortunately, moms can make things worse by hovering around and telling dad how to do things. I’m a firm believer that the best way to learn how to parent is to be thrown into the deep end with both feet. Dads should figure out their own way of doing things. Children will adapt to how dad does things the same way they adapted to diapers and clothes instead of the womb. It can be hard for mom to hear her baby’s cries as daddy fumbles around with a diaper or accidentally scares the baby during play, but ultimately it’s best for the child to learn about different personalities and parenting styles. It’s especially important for your children to form a strong bond with their father. The earlier dad plays an active role in baby’s life, the better.