Let’s face it – society doesn’t raise boys to be fathers. Whenever I take my children to a large store, I’m forced to split my time running back and forth between the “boy” toy section and the “girl” toy section. The boy section is filled with toys that wrestle, shoot, and get put together or blown up. The girl’s section, on the other hand, includes toys that require care, dress up, or beautification in some way. You’re not going to find a baby doll anywhere near the Nerf guns and WWE wrestling figures. I’m not condoning this stereotyping of “girl” and “boy” play, but it’s the reality we live in. This is one reason why guys are raised without any idea how to take care of a baby. Yes, there are guys who have known how to hold a baby since they were a baby and take great pleasure in doing so, but, for most guys, there is never an interest until that day happens.
If you are reading this blog, most likely that day has happened or is about to happen. When my first child was born, I had no idea how to take care of a child. To be honest, I’m three kids in and still learning as I go. I tried reading parenting books, but there was always a more interesting game on TV or paint that I needed to watch dry. Reading a parenting book did not sound like fun. I was too embarrassed to ask other parents how to do something because I was afraid of being judged as “that dad that doesn’t know anything,” even though I was that dad that doesn’t know anything. To help those dads who are in a similar situation, over the next 7 days I’ll be posting on some of the basic things you are going to need to know.
Basic Baby Care links