Dad Advice

[tbradsim1]

What Warren said, this new gentle parenting is . Love em, but be tough on em, raised 3, made them work, made them read, at the dinner table talked about what Dad made and what things cost. Don’t condone disrespect, and above all SET AN EXAMPLE!

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

^^This. 1000 times this^^
I have eight kids and this is the advice I give new parents.

Eight? And I thought I was ballsy for entertaining the idea of 4.
That's awesome. I'm curious, what's the age gap between youngest and oldest ?

 

[FurCoat]

Eight? And I thought I was ballsy for entertaining the idea of 4.
That's awesome. I'm curious, what's the age gap between youngest and oldest ?

The oldest will be 30 next month and my youngest is 6.
Two are step children. That would be Samuel and Hannah.
So here's the run down
Isaiah 29
Donovan 24
Ian 21
Hannah 21
The twins Jordan and Nathan 18
Samuel 18
Amelia 6

 

[kcghost]

I wouldn't go to my father for advice under penalty of death.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

The oldest will be 30 next month and my youngest is 6.
Two are step children. That would be Samuel and Hannah.
So here's the run down
Isaiah 29
Donovan 24
Ian 21
Hannah 21
The twins Jordan and Nathan 18
Samuel 18
Amelia 6

I don't think I could live through 8. However, the number of Grandchildren possible from 8 is phenomenal. Would almost make it worth it.

 

[BigEd]

I’m a Nun. Ain’t got nun. lol. But i had what i think is a cool idea.
Buy a matched pair of a nice , even special birth year pipes. Smoke one regularly. Let them know that this is the pipe you bought to celebrate your birth. Then on the appropriate birthday present them with the twin they didn’t know about. Even if they don’t smoke it, it will become a prized heirloom.

 

[Dave760]

Not a father (so disregard if you like), but do not photograph or video everything. Behind the camera (or phone) is not being in the moment. I have some great photos of stuff from my life, but the memories I have are of the photography. Be in the moment.

I have two wonderful nephews and I am so thankful I learned this lesson before they came along.

 

[didimauw]

I've been a dad for 11 years this December. And I still don't have any good advice.

Other than..

Good luck

 

[tracerbullet]

Have fun, seriously. Enjoy every minute

 

[gamzultovah]

The time goes by so fast…be present in their lives, you won’t get a second chance.

 

[AcesAndEights]

Advice for the first few weeks. Being in survival mode is ok. Doing just what NEEDS to be done and letting some things wait is ok. Napping is ok, in fact, encouraged. Help any way you can. The first kid rocks your world, and rocks your wife’s world even more. And finally, it does get better. You’ll get sick of hearing that, but the first few months are crazy. But it truly does get better. Congratulations!

 

[georged]

Head's up ---

If you feed 'em, they get bigger, and learn stuff along the way:

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

You will soon realize you can never have nice stuff ever again….at least not for a long time lol

 

[skydog]

My son just turned 1 a few months ago and man everybody is right. Blink and you'll miss it. I think part of the reason parenting advice can be so varied is because, when they're little like this especially, what works today might not work tomorrow. You just have to roll with the punches and try to figure out what works best for you and your family on any given day.

 

[OverMountain]

Love covers a multitude of errors. Congrats! Being a parent changes everything.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

The oldest will be 30 next month and my youngest is 6.
Two are step children. That would be Samuel and Hannah.
So here's the run down
Isaiah 29
Donovan 24
Ian 21
Hannah 21
The twins Jordan and Nathan 18
Samuel 18
Amelia 6

That's awesome. Good for you man.

 

[FurCoat]

I don't think I could live through 8. However, the number of Grandchildren possible from 8 is phenomenal. Would almost make it worth it.

I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have kids running around the house.

 

[trouttimes]

I would tell you the thing they want most is not toys or PS3 or any of that stuff even though they will beg for it. The thing they want the most is you and your time. They watch you constantly, learning, good or bad from you. They will remember things you did together long after they forget things you bought for them. Nothing will replace time spent together. I can’t stress this enough.

 

[atwaterville]

1. If you plan on remodeling or rearranging your home, do it now or you will not have time or the energy to take care of it for the next 3 years or so.
2. Take as much video as you can; they grow fast and so cute when they're in those young ages. I don't know if it's due to Covid or sleep deprivation, but I can't remember much of those early years so I rely on pics and videos to relive the feelings from time to time.
3. At least for me, raising my son has challenged me to confront any unresolved emotional issues that I carried from my youth caused by my parents' parenting style. Seek advice, self reflect at end of every day, and mostly importantly be patient. I am still work on all these as they don't come naturally for me.

 

[jackets]

I’m a few months ahead of you, entering month four of being a father. One thing I haven’t seen, and maybe because it’s so fresh in my mind is also make sure you are focusing some attention on Mom. Shes going to be a an absolute Molotov cocktail of hormones after giving birth. One doctor told us the swing is akin to going through menopause. With all the feeding she’s going to feel a little like a barn animal, being present and patient with her is going to go a long way. Don‘t feel guilty for taking some time to yourself when you have the opportunity. I got a pipe to mark the occasion and I’ll always cherish the couple times a week I took it outside to smoke early on.