Home » Partners & Parents » Expectant Fathers » The Expectant Dad’s New Year’s Resolutions Manifesto

The Expectant Dad’s New Year’s Resolutions Manifesto

© Dale Kiefer

A new year is upon us, and some of us will be dads for the first time this year. Congratulations to you; you know who you are. If there's any doubt, you are the fellows who have learned more than you ever wanted to know about female mood swings, dietary cravings, uncontrolled weeping, tender breasts, swollen feet and sexual frustration.

Perhaps now is the time to make certain resolutions that will carry you well into the New Year and, more importantly, into your new role as dad.

Repeat after me. I resolve:

· To approach the current trials of pregnancy, and the coming trials of new parenthood, with an unfailing sense of humor.

· To approach my wife's more difficult moments with the patience of Job. (Corollary to the above: To recognize how difficult she has it and to give thanks that I was born male.)

· To react to the inevitable frustration of my baby's inconsolable crying with both humor and patience.

· To cut myself some slack when I'm worried that I don't know what to do, or that I might be doing something wrong.

· To give thanks that I live at a time when it's considered cool to take an active role in my baby's care, feeding and nurturing.

· To recognize that my participation in my baby's care, feeding and nurturing (physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual) is just as important to my baby's overall health as his or her mother's participation.

· To understand that men and women are different. Beyond the obvious hardware differences, there are "software" differences, too, which result in widely differing approaches to caring for babies. Neither is right or wrong. Nature intended our approaches to be different and complementary. And that's okay with me.

· To take charge of the first diaper change in order to reassure my spouse that I'm both capable and willing (and to convince myself of same).

· To take charge of whom gains access to my wife and baby during the first few crucial "bonding" weeks of our life as a new family.

· To purchase, install properly and understand the mechanics of our new baby car seat. (Emphasis on install properly.) I also will not wait too late to do this, nor will I underestimate how difficult the above may prove to be.

· To get as much rest as possible, without guilt, whenever possible, except when it's my turn to care for the baby and allow my wife to get her rest.

· Above all, I resolve to be patient:

The copyright of the article The Expectant Dad’s New Year’s Resolutions Manifesto in Expectant Fathers is owned by . Permission to republish The Expectant Dad’s New Year’s Resolutions Manifesto in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.