Tips on Being a Dad
When my daughter was born I realized at that moment that my life would change. How it would change I was not quite sure. Maybe I would have less time for myself or I would become more giving. Now there was a human being I was responsible for. What I sensed was that nothing would be exactly as it was before. As time went on I learned more and more how to be a dad and still be me. How to care for a child and care for myself. Here is my take on how to do that:
1. Put your baby on a schedule:
Putting your baby on a nap, eating and sleep schedule frees up time for you to have to yourself. If you don't have a schedule you will find that you are guessing when it will be your time and your spouse's time to breath and have some time to yourself. By putting your baby on a schedule you make time, have time, carve out time for yourself and for your spouse as well. In the end you will be happier and less resentful. A schedule is crucial to your sanity and the more sane you are the better off your child will be. A happy parent is a good parent. Sacrificing all of your day and night to your child is simply being a martyr.
2. Take time to go out and enjoy some down time:
Make time to go out and party or just to have dinner and a movie. Don't dedicate your entire life to being a parent but rather take some time to yourself. Taking time to yourself will take the tension down a few notches and help to make for a happy family. Plan the times to for yourself when your baby is born. Start the process of finding responsible people around you who would be willing to trade baby sitting services. Consider family members and do your research around companies that offer sitting services who have done background checks and have referrals from others.
3. Made your child more and more independent:
We as parents often make our children dependent on us. Some of us carry our baby around most of the day or when they cry we feel compelled to carry them. Each of us has to measure how much we are enabling our child by being overly concerned and doing too much. There are many ways to have your child become more independent like music and mobiles that they can play with a listen to. Give your baby things to grab and to visually and physically play with. There are educational videos one can get for babies and although Baby Einstein will not make your baby smart it will not harm them and there is a possibility that it could be a learning experience. Placing your baby in side a playpen and giving him or her things to manipulate with their little hands helps your child develop. Independence is important and at each year of their life and level there are more ways to making them independent like puzzles, games, books and Legos. At each level your child will need more challenging things to do when they are doing things independently.
4. Quality Time:
Make sure you spend time playing and interacting with your child daily at each stage of their life. When you spend quality time with your child you don't have to feel Quilty and try to make time with him or her. It is a routine of time you spend each day with your children. It is set up for the purpose of later taking me time, making sure you can easily justify some alone time. You have done your duty as a parent and now you can take care of you. There may be some parents who spend all day and night with their children but this does not make them good parents. It makes them resentful. If you spend that quality time with your children you will always make time for yourself and be able to feel good about it.
5. Set Boundaries:
As soon as your child can understand boundaries you should make him or her aware of them. These are the do's and don't's you make clear to him or her by stating what the rules are and how you like to be addressed and treated. Kids should know their boundaries and you can talk about that to them as well. What are the things that they can and cannot do and what are the things they would say are their boundaries, like hitting is not OK or fowl language hurts our feelings. When setting your boundaries allow room for your child to set their boundaries as well depending on their age and maturity. If nothing is required of them then don't be surprised when they cross you by doing or saying something that is hurtful, rude or disrespectful. Set boundaries as you go along by making sure that what you expect of them and how you expect to be treated is clear. This should include items in the home and how we participate by not leaving our glass in the bedroom or table but rather place it in the dishwasher or sink. Boundaries are important and truly set a tone between you and your children. It does not have to be strict and without room for agreements but it does have to be honest and clear.
1. Put your baby on a schedule:
Putting your baby on a nap, eating and sleep schedule frees up time for you to have to yourself. If you don't have a schedule you will find that you are guessing when it will be your time and your spouse's time to breath and have some time to yourself. By putting your baby on a schedule you make time, have time, carve out time for yourself and for your spouse as well. In the end you will be happier and less resentful. A schedule is crucial to your sanity and the more sane you are the better off your child will be. A happy parent is a good parent. Sacrificing all of your day and night to your child is simply being a martyr.
2. Take time to go out and enjoy some down time:
Make time to go out and party or just to have dinner and a movie. Don't dedicate your entire life to being a parent but rather take some time to yourself. Taking time to yourself will take the tension down a few notches and help to make for a happy family. Plan the times to for yourself when your baby is born. Start the process of finding responsible people around you who would be willing to trade baby sitting services. Consider family members and do your research around companies that offer sitting services who have done background checks and have referrals from others.
3. Made your child more and more independent:
We as parents often make our children dependent on us. Some of us carry our baby around most of the day or when they cry we feel compelled to carry them. Each of us has to measure how much we are enabling our child by being overly concerned and doing too much. There are many ways to have your child become more independent like music and mobiles that they can play with a listen to. Give your baby things to grab and to visually and physically play with. There are educational videos one can get for babies and although Baby Einstein will not make your baby smart it will not harm them and there is a possibility that it could be a learning experience. Placing your baby in side a playpen and giving him or her things to manipulate with their little hands helps your child develop. Independence is important and at each year of their life and level there are more ways to making them independent like puzzles, games, books and Legos. At each level your child will need more challenging things to do when they are doing things independently.
4. Quality Time:
Make sure you spend time playing and interacting with your child daily at each stage of their life. When you spend quality time with your child you don't have to feel Quilty and try to make time with him or her. It is a routine of time you spend each day with your children. It is set up for the purpose of later taking me time, making sure you can easily justify some alone time. You have done your duty as a parent and now you can take care of you. There may be some parents who spend all day and night with their children but this does not make them good parents. It makes them resentful. If you spend that quality time with your children you will always make time for yourself and be able to feel good about it.
5. Set Boundaries:
As soon as your child can understand boundaries you should make him or her aware of them. These are the do's and don't's you make clear to him or her by stating what the rules are and how you like to be addressed and treated. Kids should know their boundaries and you can talk about that to them as well. What are the things that they can and cannot do and what are the things they would say are their boundaries, like hitting is not OK or fowl language hurts our feelings. When setting your boundaries allow room for your child to set their boundaries as well depending on their age and maturity. If nothing is required of them then don't be surprised when they cross you by doing or saying something that is hurtful, rude or disrespectful. Set boundaries as you go along by making sure that what you expect of them and how you expect to be treated is clear. This should include items in the home and how we participate by not leaving our glass in the bedroom or table but rather place it in the dishwasher or sink. Boundaries are important and truly set a tone between you and your children. It does not have to be strict and without room for agreements but it does have to be honest and clear.
Comments
Post a Comment