They are not called babies for fun

The early stages of being a father can be daunting, believe you me, it really can be. I was overwhelmed as the silence in the house was broken for good. Make no mistake when babies are born, they cry and if you  are lucky enough to have twins or triplets just multiply that by two or three.  But take consolation in this famous African truth too “the child that will not allow his parents to sleep through the night must be prepared to stay awake himself” It is a stage that will pass and as they grow into children that you can play with and they start to mutter the words “DADDY” it will all be worth it.

Babies help to complete the family and as they say “A family is like a forest, when you are outside it is dense, when you are inside you see that each tree has its place” Never underestimate the power of a baby’s smile when you are very angry and in rage. There is no guile in their laughter or smiles. Babies have a role to play in making relationships healthy if they are seen as innocence that needs appreciation and fragility that needs protection and love. Sometimes the tension in a relationship can be eased when the attention is not on each other’s ego but rather to watch the little one grow.

Babies mean that the relationship is going to the next level and for all those hopeful dads out there: Yes! there will be breaks on sex when the baby comes for most women at the initial stages. In fact what once used to be the man’s favourite play thing will now serve a purpose of the baby’s feeding. The Guineans have a wise saying that “a child can play with the mother’s breast but not its father’s testicles”.

A father should always be seen as the head of the family and that must come across in how you protect your family and care for them. The father needs not to be feared but rather respected and as a father you will really determine what kind of respect you receive based on your actions. For those who have gone through the early experience of being a new dad, you could even become jealous when you get no “night battles” for so long and attention moves to the baby. If you get caught in the drama of your emotions you could easily miss the beauty of watching a child grow. Babies don’t come with manual’s so you have to pretty much learn on the job and you need to have the passion to learn or else you will give up or become bad. Your creativity as a dad will define great moments and birth the most amazing responses from your baby.

Aldous Huxley once said “Every man's memory is his private literature” My recommendation is take photo’s lots of them as they are growing and have memories. Make memories, lots of them, In this day and age that you can pick up digital camera’s you can always hold so much memories and revisit them when you want or perhaps indulge yourself with a camcorder and record live moments. Believe me; you will treasure it when they are not babies anymore. Enjoy babies; they are lovely to watch as they grow.