Sunday Will be my 2nd Father’s Day

Declan Wilson

Jun 17, 2016·2 min read

My son just turned 1 two weeks ago and there is so much I’ve learned in this past year. I agree Austin that many parenting cliches come true, but here are a few things I’ve learned that people probably aren’t aware of:

1. Parenting isn’t as hard as Hollywood makes it out to be.
2. 98% of baby “products” are pointless.
3. The only parenting advice I’ve followed from other people is not listing to other people’s advice.
4. Everything you do to raise your baby is wrong in somebody else’s eyes (but who cares what they think).
5. I was wrong about #1, there are really really hard days.
6. People annoy me more than before becoming a parent (not sure if there is a correlation, but I figured I’d mention it).
7. It’s crazy how quickly you adapt to becoming a parent (I went from 0 diaper-changing experience to becoming a pro in 2 days).
8. You value your free-time way more now than before the baby (we cancelled our cable and Hulu subscription).
9. You value your money way more now than before the baby (we cancelled our cable and Hulu subscription).
10. You have to make a lot of decisions as a parent, go with your gut and move on.
11. Your social life doesn’t have to take a hit because of the baby (but your alcohol tolerance will).
12. Not posting pictures of my son to Facebook helped me make #6 more manageable.
13. I’m really good at making up songs on the spot, I’m also good at reading upside down books.
14. Similar to #2, most baby toys are a scam.
15. Intimacy between you and your significant other will change. It doesn’t become better or worse, it’s just different.
16. Most people think parenting is a guessing game, little do they realize you develop a sixth sense that makes you 53% more accurate when guessing.
17. Becoming a parent is a big change, but it’s so swift and sudden you hardly notice (like losing an arm (but not like 127 hours)).
18. Kids are now my go to ice breaker with complete strangers.
19. Don’t ask me what sleep method I use to put my son to bed, I don’t use one.
20. Don’t ask me what weening plan I am using, I let me son eat real food like the real human he is.
21. Don’t ask me for parenting advice, because I’m making this up as I go along.