New to Being a Father?

If you are, then welcome to the newness of life. Your child is a new life that becomes a part of your life, a life renewed in various dimensions. As a new child is born to family, you are also born as a new father. So, celebrate your fatherhood as it gives new life with you and in you.

As you are presented with the precious life of your child, you get renewed as a man in many ways. As you enter fatherhood, you change your sense of self. Aside from one´s understanding of oneself, certain aspects of your life may change.

1. The experience of being a father allows you to express tenderness and warmth naturally. Fatherhood helps you develop your nurturing capacity, heightens your flexibility and puts radical twists in life focus. This may draw you to the new center of attention now occupied by your child. This experience is radically different from that of a man who has nobody to take care of closely on a regular daily basis. It is not the same with that of a man who has nobody to practically take care of or that of a man whose center of life is anchored on work and ideals alone. Fatherhood leads to a shift of attention that may even change your concept of the center of the world, paradoxically speaking. So, fatherhood renews as it creates radical changes beginning with your natural capacities.
2. Being a father changes you as it draws you to greater awareness of your responsibility and protection in relation to the child. The father protects the child with all sensitivity and affection. As the child is sensitive to paternal presence and always longs for security in the father´s arms, the father-child bond grows in mutual enrichment. The father is a safe refuge and comfort to the child who cannot but render total filial trust. And he may slowly find the child capable of releasing some soothing lively energy that enlivens even a weary heart. Needless to say, with fatherhood comes responsibility which is a test and proof of genuine manhood. Man is the father who can faithfully take care of his child. No amount of success whatsoever can compensate father´s negligence to his child.
3. Third, being a new dad makes you see reasons for rejoicing and celebration. Fatherhood offers lots of practical benefits not only to the child but also to the father himself. To mention some:

• Fatherhood helps dad make better choices in life. Since he no longer lives alone, he considers his choices more responsibly in view of the whole family.
• Fatherhood makes a man more active. That is getting up at night, changing diapers, giving bath to the child, playing with the child, walking in the park etc. These are life-giving activities a dad should not miss. And they are reasons more than enough to leave any form of sedentary life.
• Fatherhood lived in a healthy way reduces stress-related problems like stomach troubles, insomnia, pain and fatigue. It also helps develop dad´s stress management skills.
• Fatherhood enhances man´s ability to take care of others. Being a father lessens inward focus or self-absorption by reaching out to the beloved child. With a developed father´s heart, one´s sense of altruism is heightened and goes beyond family confines.
• Responsible and involved fatherhood enables children to learn life skills faster and better. Some studies prove that children with involved fathers get better performance at school.

At all angles, therefore, fatherhood should be seen not as a threat to your established self-concept and lifestyle but an opportunity to experience renewal and growth. The best thing about being a new father is that you begin to see things in new perspectives. And you become a new man.