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ROKU AppA Father’s Perspective on Parenting the First Year
Written by Paul Suckling
I had the incredible experience of seeing both of our children born, and what a thrill it was!
After months of waiting and helping my wife more and more as time moved along in her pregnancy, the day finally arrived. I did what I could. After several long sessions of back rubs and helping in other ways, the midwife stepped in and our daughter was born! The sheer joy of holding this personal reproduction of ourselves was indescribable.
Interesting events started to happen
This little bundle of new life knew exactly where her next meal was and headed for it without a moment’s hesitation. Many other natural events followed in quick order (even Grandma was soaked by accident!).
As the days moved into weeks and on into months, routines became established and adjustments were made. We often joked that if the second child had come first, there might not have been a second one, as the contrast was so striking. Boys are clearly different from girls in so many ways.
Support systems
We were truly blessed with a lot of family support, and this enabled my wife to get some much needed rest and time to recuperate after nine months of growing a baby. From my perspective as an observer, being pregnant for the first time is a new and fascinating experience every step of the way, but it is also very exhausting! After giving birth, some R&R is definitely deserved, though few mothers seem to get it these days.
Making adjustments
All through the first year, as each new experience came along, we learned lessons. We learned about dealing with what seemed like incessant crying. We realized we must not get frustrated or irritated but must continually be thankful that we had in our arms a helpless infant who needed total care and attention. We were once helpless infants ourselves! We knew we had a huge responsibility and made a commitment to this precious life we helped to produce.
Taking it in stride
The roller coaster that comes along will be different for each set of parents. Our challenges included losing sleep, being disturbed just when we didn’t want to be, facing constant interruptions to our routine and so on.
The way to counter these challenges is to always remember the pleasures, such as the joy of holding your newborn, seeing the almost daily transformations as this little person develops,and realizing what an impact you are currently having on this new life. Your child is learning so much every day, as he or she watches and listens to you. The tone of your voice, the atmosphere created around your child, the love he or she senses from you and those around, all impact this tiny, developing mind.
Take time to note and enjoy every daily change you can spot in your baby’s development.
Enjoy your offspring
It is vital for both Mom and Dad to truly relish and enjoy those times when all is well. Focus on the exciting new things your child is learning, the smiles and cute noises, all the wonders of a new life. Remember these good times when you are facing the hard or unpleasant times—colic, teething, sickness or simply the seemingly never-ending dirty diapers.
This is your child, a wonderful reproduction of the two of you and a gift from the Creator, who will have the same potential as adults: to one day receive the gift of eternal life and go on to be a child of God.
It is a great responsibility and a challenge. Be thankful and enjoy it!
Paul Suckling is a Church of God, a Worldwide Association, pastor from England who now lives in New England. He is a father and a grandfather.
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