Brilliant dad week 18
My name is Robert Davies. I’m a 34 year old father of two and I live in the Rhondda Valley in South Wales. I’m married with two children, a two year old girl and a one year old boy. We’ve got goldfish named George and Mildred, a cat named Ozzie and for the last five and a half years I’ve worked for the NHS on a mental health unit. Rob blogs at Please Don’t Probe Us.
1. Have you always wanted to be a dad?
Yeah I’ve always wanted to be a dad but was never in any rush. When I finally felt I was ready and was in a relationship with somebody who I knew was the one for me it seemed to all happen so quick. Bringing up children is harder than I ever ever thought but so rewarding when you see how much love they have for you.
2. How did you feel when your children were born?
Elated and terrified at the same time, there were some complications during my first borns birth and the delivery room was filled with all sorts of doctors and nurses. We weren’t really informed what was going on, we were just told the baby’s heart rate was a little high but it was nothing to worry about. What they were saying and the amount of sudden activity in the room was quite contradicting however. Nevertheless everything turned out ok. When my little boy was born it was a completely different experience all together, everything was calm and chilled out, everything went smoothly and I even got to cut the umbilical cord
3 what have been the most rewarding experiences been so far ?
Just little things they do, seeing them learn new things. My oldest who is two and a half is still a baby to me and the other day we were visiting the school she’s attending next year and I was just thinking where’s my baby gone all of a sudden! I’ve a got a one year old boy as well and he’s walking around and climbing furniture all over the place, he couldn’t even roll over by himself what seems like five minutes ago but seeing them both growing from babies into children with their own personalities is amazing.
4. What are some of funniest moments to have happened to you as a dad?
It’s just those little things that you find funny as a parent but you tell somebody else and they will laugh to be polite but you know they just don’t get it. My daughter drew a picture for me the other day and was so proud but she had drawn it on the back of my laptop in marker pen. I was annoyed at first but couldn’t show her because she genuinely thought she was doing a nice thing for me, It came off luckily though.
5. Have there been any situations with your children that you found difficult to cope with?
My daughter had to go into hospital and have an operation to remove part of her kidney, we always knew it was coming and it was never something I really worried about because I knew it was something she had to have done to make her better.
When they actually gave us a date for her to be admitted for her operation I suddenly felt sick to my stomach, I had nightmares for most of the week before she went in so didn’t really get much sleep. The day she was admitted they kept phoning us and telling us there were no beds and I half wanted her to get it over and done with and I was half praying they would cancel but they didn’t and in we went.
The day of her op I still find difficult to talk about without getting upset and the five hours she was in the operating theatre I was like a zombie, I just had to switch off. When we had the call to say she was out of theatre and we could go and fetch her I think me and my wife ran all the way up there and the relief we felt was amazing.
When they actually gave us a date for her to be admitted for her operation I suddenly felt sick to my stomach, I had nightmares for most of the week before she went in so didn’t really get much sleep. The day she was admitted they kept phoning us and telling us there were no beds and I half wanted her to get it over and done with and I was half praying they would cancel but they didn’t and in we went.
The day of her op I still find difficult to talk about without getting upset and the five hours she was in the operating theatre I was like a zombie, I just had to switch off. When we had the call to say she was out of theatre and we could go and fetch her I think me and my wife ran all the way up there and the relief we felt was amazing.
6. What are your dreams and hopes for your children?
I just want what every parent does I suppose, I want them to be healthy, have good jobs and be happily married. Them getting a degree would be nice but it’s not always necessary to have a degree to achieve your goals. The one other thing I hope for is when they become teenagers they don’t behave like I did when I was a teenager, they’ll be grounded for life if they do! It’s all life experience and part of growing up I suppose though.
Thank you Rob for taking part in the Brilliant Dad Feature I appreciate your time.
