Are You Ready to be a Dad?

I will keep this short and sweet. I have 4 kids.

1. You will never be ready, but once you have them you will never regret it.

2. No matter how much advice we give you on parenting or trying to prepare you, you are going to figure way more out on your own. Every child, situation, and family unit is different.

3. Good luck and have fun makin em!

If you wait til everything is perfect you'll be waiting the rest of your life. It'll never be. So, the answer is, you never know, you've just got to go for it. You'll be ready, you'll have to be ready.

BTW...expecting our 3rd now.

Schneed and Angry said it very well. Too much good advice already given for me to add much - So I'll just reiterate what they have said.

You're ready (SS - I can tell, you will have a blast being a Dad, really!!). Even if you think you're not - you're ready. Don't worry, you'll figure out all you need to know. Finances will work out. Scheduling will work out. It's a bit of a leap of faith, but well worth the plunge. As I tell people, being a Dad is the best job I have ever had.

Finally, in the immortal words of Douglas Adams: Don't Panic.

If you wait til everything is perfect you'll be waiting the rest of your life. It'll never be. So, the answer is, you never know, you've just got to go for it. You'll be ready, you'll have to be ready.

BTW...expecting our 3rd now.


Congrads!!!

Smoot is going to be one of those Dad's whose kids thinks he knows everything b/c he is filled with useless and semi-useless knowledge. You know, the kind of information small kids eat up. Plus, he plays catch with Drew Brees at lunch. - How cool a Dad is that?

This is all great, really great, advice. I feel like it really comes down to what is what many have said. Perhaps Angry said it best

1. You will never be ready, but once you have them you will never regret it.

I think the "fear" my wife and I have is that our lives will forever change and we don't know how to handle that. But I guess when we see that baby, we'll know

If you wait til everything is perfect you'll be waiting the rest of your life. It'll never be. So, the answer is, you never know, you've just got to go for it. You'll be ready, you'll have to be ready.

BTW...expecting our 3rd now.

Nice. Congrats!

My friend has always said when you think you're ready, wait another 2 years. Then if you think you're ready, wait another 2 years. You get the picture.

I agree with the notion that nobody is ever truly ready, you just try to get as close as you can to being ready, then dive in head first.

As far as ready, what is ready? Honestly ask yourself that. I am speaking of married couples here not 16 year olds having babies.

I can't think what the perfect "ready" scenario would be.

I say at least have these things:

a good marriage
some savings
stable jobs
and mutual agreement of how you want to raise this child between you and your wife

So many folks use money as their excuse to not have kids, in all reality if you are both employed you be surprised how much you are wasting it just gets re-direct to your child.

For example I paid off my 4Runner this year. When we were childless, we probably be like what car should we get next, now we are like it is awesome to have no payments.

So this thread is really for all the fathers out there. My wife and I are that point when we feel we want to look to start a family in the next year or so.

On the one hand, we feel ready. We both have good careers, we're in good (not spectacular) financial shape.

On the other hand, we don't have any immediate family near us, we don't know what a baby will mean to our finances and our careers, and we know our lives will forever change.

Sometimes we feel like we'll always find an excuse not to be ready.

So for all the dads out there, how did you know you were ready? (If you knew). I mean the thought of it is so overwhelming, how do you adjust your mentality to the idea of being responsible for a brand new human being?


Dude don't think about it, IMO you sound ready. Start enjoying unprotected sex for awhile.

Here is a scary thought it took my sister 3 years to get preggo, just imagine if you keep waiting and then it takes you a long time to get preggo. You may be a dad at 50 for the first time! =)