4. Men Thrive on Respect, Confidence & Love

Men thrive on respect, confidence and love and all are in short supply as we become fathers. Focus on respect for what he does right. It will build his confidence and show you love him.

Becoming a father should be a seminal rite of manhood. Instead, at a time when we men are trying to wrap our minds around all the challenges of a baby, our friends tell us that the fun in our lives is over, the healthcare industry ignores us or trains us as assistant moms and some childbirth classes can feel like hazing sessions. 

One new dad wanted to know “how can I have a baby and still be a man?” Men should not have to feel like they have to leave their manhood behind when they get hands-on with their babies. In fact, a dad on the job has every reason to feel more masculine, and only moms can deliver that message so dads hear it.

Respect His Role As a Father: Babies Need Their Dads

Research indicates that children whose fathers are a consistent, positive force in their lives do better socially, intellectually, and in a broad range of other factors ranging from economic status in childhood to peer relationships in adolescence to productivity as adults. A dad has a unique and profound influence on the person his baby eventually becomes; e.g., his natural roughhousing develops her motor skills, speeds the development of her brain and nervous system and teaches her how to take risks. A connected and involved dad will help your be child healthier, happier and more emotionally secure.

What are your thoughts on appreciating what dad has to offer his kids?  Do you have suggestions for moms-to-be?

    • Appreciate his successes, no matter how small at first. Like all animals, men respond well to positive reinforcement.

    • Let him know you respect him as a father.

    • Remember that men can’t read your mind.  If you want your mate to do something, tell him.

    • Give him room to make his own mistakes.  For both moms and dad, so much of the learning comes from trial and error.

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10 Things Moms-to-Be Should Know
About New Dads

Moms, check out this Top Ten list and let us know what you think. Share your experience about supporting a new dad, including what you did that worked and what you did that didn’t.

A mom-to-be has a huge array of support and information, including her mate, friends, family, the healthcare system, and entire media and retail sectors. A dad-to-be has you. … Read More

Mothers are the most important factor in a father’s involvement with his baby. You can facilitate it or hinder it, especially in the months surrounding the birth when a new dad’s motivation is strongest. ... Read More

If you back off on doing everything with the baby and expect him to do his part, he will. Encourage him to get out of the house with his baby on his own, giving them time to develop their very special relationship. ... Read More

Men thrive on respect, confidence and love, and all are in short supply as we become fathers. Focus on respect for what he does right. It will build his confidence and show you love him. ... Read More

Dads bring a unique set of strengths to raising kids and are the best brain development toys possible. Don’t turn dad into an assistant mom, encourage him to do it his way. Your baby will thrive on the difference. ... Read More

Having our babies get excited when they see us, and knowing we are there for them when they need us, feeds our souls as men. With experience, our confidence builds, our instincts kick in, and we start feeling like real dads. It just takes longer than with moms. ... Read More

It’s not about sex, it’s about love. New moms naturally and dramatically shift their attention, intimacy and love from dad to their baby. If mom is not happy with dad, your relationship can suffer dramatically. Even if you don’t feel like sex, he still needs to feel the love. ... Read More

OK, it is partly about sex, but if vacuuming alone resulted in more sex, we would be buying 500 horse power Dyson vacuums and supercharging them. Once life settles down with your new baby, focus on your relationship, and the sex will handle itself. ... Read More

The more he brings his child into his life, the more balance you get in your life. When mom gets more balance, dad gets more of mom, and balance in his life too. Everybody lives more happily ever after. ... Read More

Soon after you become pregnant, help him get a good start, because you soon will be overwhelmed with your own needs. Show him respect as a father-to-be with something that helps him along his path. ... Read More

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As Cavemen, we dads developed a strong protective instinct (Saber-toothed cats were a real problem), as well as a nurturing instinct. We were hands-on with our babies 24/7 in our little caves (talk about co-sleeping), except when out after an extra big mammoth because we had another mouth to feed. And when we got back, no doubt the… Read On

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