The Rookie Dad’s Guide to Surviving Your Better Half

It’s well documented how crazy and irrational our sleep-deprived ‘better halves’ can be in the first months of a baby’s life. And this crazy and irrational behaviour follows, of course, the barmy unpredictability of the nine-month pregnancy. Luckily, if you got it right in the lead-up, you’ll probably get it right in the newborn phase. Patience. Dutifulness. Enthusiasm. Reading the play. And, to use a cricketing analogy, learning when to play and when to let it through to the keeper. (For the soon-to-be dads, the below video by Tova Leigh, will probably zing in your ears.)

For every new bloke beginning the dad journey, there’s a new look of bleary-eyed confusion, self-pity and frustration: you’re in the trenches, unable to see the light for the grey (their baby’s smiles aside), and whatever you do, you’re doing it wrong.

While this article by Scary Mummy‘s Amy Morrison might leave you questioning whether “this perfect guy” exists, it does makes some salient points (although “Come home and get in the house” might be a scalded-schoolboy step too far). It’s advice that, with the benefit of hindsight, many will wish they’d adopted.

Your work will go unnoticed at first but when the dust settles you’ll be revered and adored.

Some guys get it straight away, but many don’t. To those that do: kudos. You’re well on your way to a harmonious life. To those that don’t, keep working at it. If you stay mindful, you’ll get there. The rewards are boundless. And to the many stuck in the trenches right now, keep pushing; we salute you.