Make Sure You Give Back to This Opportunity if You Are a New Dad
Don't ghost the people who gave you the knowledge to get through one of the most challenging things in your life
Every man should go through a boot camp about becoming a father before their child is born.
It was what prepared me the most to be a father when my wife was pregnant. The one I attended was called Boot Camp for New Dads. You will hear stories from other dads about their birth experience, how becoming a father changed their life, challenges they faced after becoming a parent, and advice so you don’t make the same mistakes they did. Let’s face it, if this is your first time going through this experience, you don’t know what you are getting into no matter how much advice you have gotten.
Some of the topics covered were gatekeeping, how to be active in the hospital, teamwork with your wife, how to give breastfeeding support, advocating during the birth process, birth plans, caring for your baby, family management, baby blues, and controlling your emotions. This is information you can get in books and online but it’s more real when in a discussion format with people who have gone through the experiences. You can’t ask a book or a YouTube videos questions either.
One of the best things about the program is the ability to actually give back and return as a “Vet Dad.” Volunteering your time when you have an infant probably isn’t one of the top things on your to-do list, but it’s important for the program for you to do so and it’s a great experience. You get to show off your skills to future dads, tell them about your experience, and give them useful advice. It also exposes your baby to a new setting and can get fed, changed, and get held by future dads.
You will reap benefits by hearing other Vet Dad’s advice and experiences. It can be difficult for men to make substantive connections with each other and this can be a great place to meet others going through the same experiences as you to give and get support. If a man is attending an event like that, odds are he is serious about being the best father he can be and that’s who you want to associate with. It’s important to have a support structure for the most important job of your life.
It will be a worthwhile experience to give back to a daddy bootcamp near you. You get to show off your new skills and it will boost your confidence in another setting to take care of your baby. Mom also gets a few hours to herself to recharge to everybody wins. It can be a great place to find support from other dads who are going through the same experiences you are. I enjoyed my volunteer experience so much the first time I’m set up to do it again in a couple of weeks and said I’d help as needed.