Brilliant dad feature Week 88

This week our brilliant dad feature is all about Henry. In his own words, he’s a professional marketer, a semi-professional husband, but merely an amateur father. As well running his dad blog, Henry works for a content agency in London, and spends way too much money on Lego! Henry’s blog is Henry’s blog! Check it out awesome. Thank you to Henry for taking part.

1. Have you always wanted to be a dad?

I’m not strictly sure I could say I “always” wanted to be a dad – I used to harbour dreams of becoming a teacher, though they petered-out after I did work experience at an infants and realised there was a lot of sitting round in staff rooms. But since my wife and I have been together, I’ve certainly looked forward to becoming a dad – with both excitement and trepidation!

2. How did you feel when your children were born?

A mixture of elation and nerves – though this was the same throughout most of pregnancy too, at least for our first child. This soon gave way to a haze of emotions that it’s almost impossible to remember after all this time – through a mixture of lack of sleep and the passage of time. I’m sure there was a large dose of happiness in there somewhere, though!

3. What have been your most rewarding experiences so far as a Dad?

I wrote a post along these lines fairly recently, as it occurred to me that some of the most rewarding experiences for me are when my children master something that I have never done. Obviously I find the usual stuff rewarding too – first steps, first words etc. But when my eldest son first started taking piano lessons – something I always wanted to do but never managed – I felt such incredible pride. Same when they mastered sports I never connected with – I find those experiences massively rewarding.

4. What are some of funniest moments to have happened to you as a dad?

I know it sounds a bit cliche to say, but there are just to many to narrow it down – my kids make me laugh daily, sometimes hourly, and I only wish I’d written more of them down. I went through a short phase after my second son started talking where I recorded his gems on a tumblr, but I’ve long since lost the logins and I massively regret not keeping it up, Mangled words, funny pronunciations, cute misunderstandings – my kids are a non-stop source of humour and joy.

5. Have there been any situations with your children that you have found difficult to cope with?

Not that I can think of, no – it probably sounds arrogant to say (or perhaps foreboding!) but we’ve not faced any insurmountable obstacles yet. Sure, we’ve been tested by a few things – minor hospital procedures, a few educational challenges. the usual stuff. But I’m grateful that we’ve not faced any really testing situations – especially given some of the challenges other parents we know have faced. I certainly can’t complain!

6. What are your dreams and hopes for your children?  

I think about this regularly, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the only thing I want for my children – literally, my one over-riding wish for my children – is this: I want them to be happy. Whatever they choose to do in life, whatever path they choose to follow, I want them to be happy and contented.