This week, I've been reflecting on my time as a father and stumbled across a writing I wrote just one week after my first child was born. What I wrote then still holds sway with how I feel now and even more so! In this Daddy Chronicles I will share my own experiences as well as some advice along the way. As I was reminded by the quote at the end of this entry: Being a Daddy is a BIG deal!
On April 16th 2009 at 8:02pm our Son Marvin Elijah Nelson was born. He weighed in at 6lbs 4 oz. and was 18.5 inches long. I am now the proud father of an amazingly beautiful baby boy! Being a father is new for me, since this is my first baby. Many things I thought "I knew" about being a father ended up being the tip of the iceberg, or in all honesty...irrelevant.
There is no way anyone can be prepared for what happens within the first week of being a father (or mother for that matter), because it is an intense introduction into parenthood. This has been the best, hardest as well as most fun week of my life. I've learned more this week than in any other week I can ever remember.
Experiential learning always ends up teaching us more than any classroom or book ever could! It's an incredible transformation, which I feel I have undertaken. I feel a deeper appreciation for my wife (who is a CHAMP!). I have an urge to look at my son's face every moment of every day...just to make sure he's ok. I also feel a deeper level of love that I never thought was possible for me to have for another human being.
Being a Father for a week gives you a deeper, truer understanding as to what real love is. This is no longer a cheesy thought to me, but a touching reality. If you have trouble going five minutes without looking at their cute little face, how strong is that love? This shouldn't come off as cheesy...because let's face it, a baby makes even the toughest man get mushy (even is he doesn't admit it).
I'm not naive to think that "I now get it" because I've been a Daddy for a week, but I can definitely say: "I never understood it all as I do now" . It's a daily journey! Lastly let me leave you with this sobering quote from a great man named Josh McDowell. It is about Parents (in particular fathers) and how vital our role is in the lives of our children. The research so shocked Josh that he called John's Hopkins to confirm what he read. Do with this what you will, but as for me, it is a HUGE reminder as to how important a role I have in my son's life.
John's Hopkins commissioned two doctors to identify any contributing factors for five diseases and conditions (mental illness, hypertension, malignant tumors, heart disease and suicide) in peoples lives. In other words, would it be possible to say, if A or B were true in a child's life, that child would be more likely to experience any of these things later in life? After 30 years of research involving 1,377 graduates, they found only ONE common factor among these conditions. It wasn't diet. It wasn't exercise. Remarkably, the SOLE common link was the lack of closeness to one's parents, especially the father.
What are some reflections on your being a Daddy for the very first time? Or What are your fears of becoming a father one day?
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