For many new parents, the magic of having brought a new life into this world is almost unimaginable. You start to plan all kinds of activities and outings under the assumption that you will never grow tired of your little bundle of joy. You wake up every morning longing to grab your child and dance like no one's watching. Oh, you sweet, innocent, naive little fawn. Wait a couple of weeks and reality will set in. Once you have kids they're with you everywhere. You're either holding them or they're climbing on you. You try to get a moment's peace but they're grabbing your shin and hanging on for dear life. Somehow they never get tired of it. How do they never get tired of it??
So, to help new parents cope with the growth of a new appendage in the shape of their child, we put together a list of all the awesome things you can do while holding your baby.
Father
Having a child is a beautiful, magical miracle that many people feel very lucky to do. It also happens to be one of the most painful things a person could possibly go through, but hey, men are stronger than women right? I digress.
The point is, after all that work, and planning, and pain you'd hope that the final project is at least presentable. But then this alien creature comes sprawling out of your insides and you realize that thing is yours and it's pretty crazy. Obviously, it's beautiful, it's a baby! It's the purest thing ever, but damn they can be funny looking too. It's okay if you've had these thoughts too.
Giving birth is without a doubt one of the most beautiful miracles to occur every single second in this life. Side-note: Isn't that crazy? However, even though it is a precious thing, it is uncomfortable, painful, and gooey. I don't know about you, but my mom loves to remind me of that too. I guess childbirth/raising children are both one of those things that you never fully understand until you give it a go.
If you were lucky enough, then growing up, your dad was your superhero. Little girls should always feel protected and loved by their fathers, but some dads go above and beyond to be the best friend every young girl needs. And sometimes, that includes letting them do your makeup and not saying a word in protest. Scroll through these pictures of superhero dads and I challenge you to not feel all the feels.
In recent years, the conversation surrounding toxic masculinity has sparked some critical debate. Society holds some pretty archaic views regarding the stigmas still attached to men who express their emotions or do things perceived as 'soft' or 'feminine.' Although awareness is increasing, there is still a lot more progress to be made. One father, Eric Owens, experienced this first-hand when he posted a photo collage on Facebook of him and his son lying in his arms over the years, including one when his son was a teenager. His post, which he captioned "18 years later and he still under my arm," went viral, with thousands of people commenting on it. Although many of the comments were positive, a good handful of them (mostly from men) was negative, stating how strange they thought it was for a father to show affection to a grown son— something only a mother should do. Someone posted it all on Tumblr, adding a rant about how this was a classic example of the toxic masculinity pervasive in society and people are agreeing. What do you think about it all?
Parenting is challenging at the best of times, but when you're thrown into being a parent with no prior warning, things can be even more overwhelming. Especially a single dad raising a daughter under tragic circumstances. A Reddit user posted a heartbreaking statement explaining that he is "a 30-year-old single male and recently my best friend and his wife both passed away due to a collision with a drunk driver. I was the Godfather to their 3-month-old daughter and I have been given custody of her. I have no idea how to raise a child and I'm going to be doing this alone and honestly, I am terrified. Please offer me any advice that can help me." Redditers jumped to the rescue, and the advice came pouring in from parents and people who had been raised by single fathers alike. Here are some of the most heartwarming ones, which show the power of the internet for the better.
With the world upside down, any big calendar moments during the pandemic have had to be adjusted accordingly. This means that Father's Day this year is being celebrated slightly differently than usual, with some social distancing love. People are getting creative and these Tweets show us just how much you have to think outside the box in difficult situations. Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there!
There's something special about the relationship between father and daughter. As her first male role model, a father has the responsibility to help determine whether his daughter develops into a strong, confident woman and a positive father-daughter relationship can have a huge impact on a young girl's life. A Reddit thread asking women to share some things a dad should know about raising a girl produced some real pearls of beautiful wisdom. Here are some of the most moving ones.
The hilarious and all too true to his comics Lunarbaboon aka Chris Grady is married and has two children. He works as a school teacher by day but by 24/7 he's a dad!
We all realize that parenting is a journey or more like a rollercoaster. It has its ups and its downs. He draws and shares his hilarious comics called called Lunarbaboon for all of us to enjoy, but probably for parents out there to let them know... they are not alone! He touches on his family adventures, raising his kids and definitely brings humor to every situation.
Grady told the HuffPost, "Lunarbaboon was created as a way for me to combat my anxiety and depression, [...] There is a lot of bad things happening in the world, but there is also a lot of good [...] I am very lucky to be married to a very smart, strong, opinionated person who is constantly fighting against injustice. A lot of what she and I talk about on a daily basis makes it into the comics."
Photographer John Wilhelm has been prolific in chronicling the lives of his three girls. For over six years, the photographer and self-taught digital manipulator has put his kids in some fantastical situations. we love it!
