Brilliant dad feature week 52
This week is the one year anniversary of the Brilliant Dad Feature and I am lucky to have a top 5 UK Dad Blogger this week. It’s Dave, a thirty-something, happily married bloke who blogs, vlogs and podcasts on his blog The Dad Venturer. He chronicles the trials and tribulations of family life as he juggles being hubby to Hay, stay-at-home dad to 18-month old Toddler L (formerly Baby L) and ruler of Dax the sausage dog.
Thank you Dave for being part of the Brilliant Dad Feature.
1. Have you always wanted to be a dad?
Yeah, growing up, I always thought that I’d be a dad. It was never a matter of ‘if’, it was always ‘when’. For some reason, I always had it in my head that I’d become a dad at 25 years old – for me, this felt like a good age as I’d be settled, but I’d still be young enough when it came to playing with the kids etc. Life was slightly different to what I planned though – I’d not factored in stuff like University or starting a graduate job, so I was slightly older at 28 when Toddler L was born. Now that I’m a dad, it’s exactly how I expected it to be and I love every (other) minute!
2. How did you feel when your children were born?
It was a strange feeling. The missus went into labour 2.5 weeks early, the sprog was born within three hours of the first contraction and we were all back home within 12 hours of arriving at the hospital. Everything went fine with mum and baby which was great, but because it had been so quick and unexpected, I think it took a little while to get my head around. I was obviously really happy that our daughter had been born and nothing had gone wrong, but I didn’t get that immediate feeling of overwhelming love which you hear about so often. Instead, I felt that my love for the little grew each day rather than hitting me straight in the face from the outset.
3. What have been your most rewarding experiences so far as a Dad?
It’s really difficult to pinpoint just one thing. Being a stay-at-home dad is pretty awesome as it means that I get to spend the vast majority of my day looking after, playing with and getting annoyed by Toddler L. As such, just seeing her grow, develop and learn each day is remarkable. As I’m at home with her, it means that I’m lucky enough not to miss anything that she does – so I’ve been there to see her do the big things like crawl, cruise, walk and talk, but also all of the little things like learning how to play with a specific toy or watching her little personality grow.
4. What are some of funniest moments to have happened to you as a dad?
I find myself laughing with and at the sprog on a daily basis. Her cute, little personality is really coming through at the moment, so I find myself laughing along as she dances, tries to feed me crisps or blows raspberries on my stomach. There’s been a few other things that have happened to me since becoming a dad, which although weren’t funny at the time, I can look back on now with a smile. The one that instantly comes to mind is when we were out for the day and a 3-month old Baby L had a poonami which leaked through onto my jeans!
5. Have there been any situations with your children that you have found difficult to cope with?
Being around the little one every minute of the day can be challenging. It’s great to have the chance to be with her, but it can also be a bit frustrating when she’s in particularly annoying moods. Luckily, she’s starting to understand things better now she’s hit 18 months old, but a few months ago, I found myself getting annoyed quite a lot because she was at an age where she didn’t listen. It felt like all I ever did was tell her to stop grabbing the dog or to not climb on the dining chairs – I swear that I said this at least 20 times throughout the day! I’m finding that I just have to be as patient as possible and calmly explain why she can or cannot do something. After all, I’m learning how to be a dad whilst she’s learning how to be a kid.
6. What are your dreams and hopes for your children?
I just want Toddler L to grow up to be happy and achieve everything she wants. Both the missus and I are very open-minded people so genuinely don’t mind what she chooses – in terms of job, partner, hobbies etc – as long as she’s happy. Yeah, I probably have bigger ambitions for her than drug dealer or stripper, but I hope that the way we raise her will help guide her to what she wants so that she can be happy in life.
6 Comments
michaelar25
March 3, 2016 at 8:47 am
Such a lovely post, its always nice to here being a parent from a dads perspective #brillblogposts
Emma Major
March 3, 2016 at 12:38 pm
I love to hear from all parents but due to the rarity of dad blogs this is wonderful to read. thanks for sharing
ShoeboxofM
March 3, 2016 at 9:22 pm
I love the line "I’m learning how to be a dad whilst she’s learning how to be a kid."
Also love the honesty about not getting the fabled 'rush of love' but it coming more gradually over time too.
#BrillBlogPosts
The DADventurer – UK Dad Blogger
March 3, 2016 at 10:07 pm
Thanks for sharing mate. Congrats on reaching a year of this feature, good work!
alan herbert
March 3, 2016 at 10:48 pm
Ha ha great line "I probably have higher ambitions than being a drug dealer or stripper"
I'm sure Toddler L will grow up happy and from there everything seems to fall into place.
David Shaul
March 13, 2016 at 9:23 pm
Great feature!! Good questions and good answers. Love following other Dad blogs