Ready to become a dad?
Here are 12 things to ask yourself before your baby arrives.
Now that you're about to become a dad, remember to take 3 Looks: Look in, Look out, and Look up.
Look in to assess who you ware and to ask yourself if you're ready for the lifelong commitment of being a dad.
Look out to see how family and culture will impact your role as a dad.
Look up to assess your values and morals to ensure that you can set the proper moral "compass" for your child.
Ask yourself the following 12 questions before you become a dad.
- Are you ready to commit for life to the mother of your child
Perhaps the most vital factor that will affect the relationship you will have with your child is the quality of the relationship that you have with your child's mother. Whether you are married to her or not, you will be linked to her for life because you will have a child together. But think hard about marrying her. Children with married parents are healthier, on average, than are children without married parents. your child will do best when your and the mother's goals are aligned. A good marriage will tend to align your and the mother's goals for the good of your child. Besides, marriage is good for men. Married men, on average, are healthier, have better and more sex, and live longer, fuller, and happier lives than unmarried men. - Do you know how important it is to be involved in your child's life?
Children who live without their dads are, on average, at least two to three times more likely to be poor, to use drugs, and to have trouble in school and with their behavior and health than are children who live with both parents. They're also more likely to be abused and to go to prison. Learn about the unique role that a dad plays in his children's lives - a role that can't be replaced! - Do you have the drive and desire to be a good dad?
The most vital factors in being a good dad are the drive and desire to be a good dad. It's best not to become a dad unless you want to become one with all your heart. Children need dads with the drive and desire to be a good dad. - Do you know how to be an involved dad?
Your child will need you to be involved physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In other words, they will need you to "provide, nurture, and guide." Children need all three to thrive. - Are you prepared to provide?
A role played by good dads is to provide for their children. Make sure that you're ready for the financial responsibility of raising a child. you should assess things like your job security, your housing, and the financial stability of your life before your baby arrives. - Are you prepared to nurture?
Your will need to give your child lots of hugs and kisses. you will need to tell your child often that you love them. Studies show that "father love" is just as vital as "mother love" for children. - Are you prepared to guide?
A main role of a dad is to instill proper values in his children. If you give your child bad values, you will only give them what they need to fail. But if you give your child proper values, you will give them what they need to succeed Make sure that you have solid character and the proper values. Good dads don't just tell their children how to live; they show them how to live. - What's your own "fathering history?"
Men who had good relationships with their own dads tend to model the way their dads raised them. Men who have had poor or no relationships with their own dads try to do what their dads did not do for them - they "rework" the poor models they had. It's vital that you ask how your relationship with your dad will affect the kind of dad you will be. - Do you know that parenting is a team sport?
You will have a teammate in parenting - the mother of your child. Make sure that you both have similar ideas about parenting. How alike are your approaches to raising a child? How will you discipline your child? Do you have the same goals for your child's education, sports, faith, etc.? you might need to look back at the way you and she were raised to see if any parenting conflicts might arise. Work out any issues before your baby arrives. - Do you know that children spell love "T-I-M-E?"
Children spell love "T-I-M-E." Your child will need your presence, attention, and time. Commit the time that you will need to the job of being a good dad. Your child will measure the quality of your relationship with them by the quantity of time (how much time) that you spend with them. Figure out how you will balance work and family time so that you can spend enough time with your child. - Are you ready to be a role model?
After you have a child, you must make all of your decisions with their well-being in mind. How you live your life will affect your child. Children model how their dads care for themselves. Are you ready to lead a healthy lifestyle so that you can be very involved in your child's life? Fatherhood is a lifelong commitment, so you have good reason to live a long and healthy life. Exercise and a change in diet might be in order for you. You must be alive to be a good dad! - Are you ready for the in-laws and the rest of "the family?"
Don't ignore the impact that your and the mother's parents and relatives will have on your role as a dad. Both families will want to invest time and assets in your child. You will have to manage the relationships they have with your child. That might be a challenge, but these relationships will be vital to your child's well-being.