being a dad is great (Being a Parent)

Member Name: adam171275

Product:	Being a Parent
Date:	02/03/09 (134 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: love and laughter

Disadvantages: tiring

Being a parent to me is the most rewarding job in the whole world and wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Im a father to a little girl of 6 and a boy 18 months and believe me it doesn't go without its hard work.


When my wife ( she was my girlfriend at the time ) told me she was expecting I was in the middle of my degree and we were still living at my mums so it really if im honest the right time. Although I say this when she told me I didn't think of any of this and just felt a massive urge to protect her and my unborn baby and felt I was the luckiest man in the whole world.



When my daughter was born I was so proud of her and wanted everyone to see her, she was the smallest most precious thing I could ever imagine I knew I was going to love and protect her from that day and forever. Coming from a childhood where my mum was the most wonderful mum ever but having a father who was never there for me I knew that I couldn't and wouldn't let this happen to my little girl I was going to be a proper dad.




She really gave us all a new lease of life we were still living with my mum as being a student we were unable to afford a place of our own, in fact we stayed there until she was three. My nan also lived with us, unfortunately my nan wasn't well as she broke her hip and lost her confidence but my nan adored my daughter and really gave her new lease of life.




Once me and my wife got our own place and we were settled we decided to try again for another baby. She did fall pregnant and we went on to have a little boy, the perfect match people say a boy and a girl.



Again the feeling of having another child sends all the same feelings of protectiveness and love, I never thought I could just love someone like that from the start I always thought it would be gradual. Since becoming a parent I have changed in the way that im more sensitive especially towards children. If I see on the news for example that a child has been hurt or murdered or something dreadful it will really stay in my mind for ages whereas before I would find it sad but then that would be it, forgotten.



You become less selfish when your a parent there needs become much higher on the lists than yours they don't go without even if you do. Before we had our children we used to go out buy each other gifts the lot, now we are lucky if we get one night out a year, but it comes with beind a parent doesn't it?. I often wonder if becoming a parent makes you lose part of your own identity? I mean you are never the same are you, you change in so many ways.




My little girl and boy are great in different ways, I always wanted a boy ( most men do ) so I could do all the football stuff and bloke things with I want him to be a real lad. My little girl is more like my little princess who when is older I know I will be a complete nightmare with her she won't be able to do anything.



Watching them both grow is great Ive been there with the sleepness nights, the potty trainning ,the tantrums, the toddling the first tooth ( and lost tooth ) the first day at nursery, all the horrid injections, the first steps, the first words, the first day at school and god knows what else too much to mention. I like the fact that I have all these memories of them which will never go.



Like everything it comes with the bad but it doesn't outweigh the good.
Of course its the sleep deprivation, they say once you become a parent you never have a decent nights sleep I do totally agree with this one. Many mornings ive gone to work not even knowing what the day is!


Having children is a constant worry, im not so bad but my wife is constantly fretting if they have a sniffle of a temperature. Or you worry about other things like are they sleeping enough? are they eating enough? is there development ok? the list is very long. If you are like me im fairly laidback and tend not to worry for worrying.


Then there's the constant need, if its not one wanting something its the other, I often think it would be so nice to get up at the weekend, do what you like, get dressed when you like and do nothing but with two children you get no lie in and they need constant entertainment especially if they are younger like my little lad. Or maybe spontaniously think shall we go out for a drink? of course with children you have to arrange sitters and if you do go out you spend the whole time phoning to check they are ok is it worth it?



But with these downsides are they really? I did all my going out and doing what I wanted in my teens and twenties and to be honest what I have now is so much better. I look at my friends who don't have children and ask myself what do they have?. I have the love I get from my children, the laughter, they really are great fun and can often bring out the real kid in you. When ive had a bad day at work I walk into my home and they are both there to greet me and for a while all my stresses of the day are all forgotten, they can be really stressfull but also to me a stress relief.



To sum it all up being a dad is the best thing ever, what did I do with my time before? and on a bad note im always absolutely knackered!.

Summary: the best thing that ever happened to me