Some males plan to become fathers, while others find the situation thrust on them accidentally or unintentionally. Assuming that the woman decides to carry the baby to term, that male then has responsibilities related to that child. Whether they planned for this to happen or not, they’ve played a part in bringing a new life into the world, and they must act accordingly. 

The law of the land states this, but as a father, you should also have an innate desire to care for this child. They are your flesh and blood, and they become part of the legacy you leave behind. They’re more than just a human being who is carrying on your genetic material. They are also a person who you

have a chance to shape and mold as you see fit. 

That is an awesome responsibility and one you should not take lightly. There is no need to view your child as merely some chore or burden, though. You may find that being a father is one of the most rewarding experiences you can ever hope to have. 

There are ways you can be the best possible father to that child as they grow, and we’ll talk about some of them right now.

Keep an Eye on Them When You’re Out in Public

One way you can be a good father to your child is by watching out for them when the two of you are in public together. You don’t want to be a helicopter parent who always needs to be six inches away from the child, but you should never take your eyes off them, especially when they are still very young. 

There are always kidnappers looking to abscond with children when the parents are not paying close enough attention. That sounds scary, but it is a reality. 

Then there are concerns like dangerous playground equipment. The CDC says that playground injuries cause over 200,000 child hospital visits every year. Keep your child in sight, and make sure to steer them away from anything that looks like it might not be safe.

Don’t Make the Mistakes Your Parents Did

Maybe you had a great upbringing, and you wouldn’t change a thing about the way your parents raised you. That’s a rarity, though. 

It’s much more common that there are at least a few things you probably felt like you would change if you ever became a parent about the way your folks brought you up. When you become a father, you have that chance. 

When you hold your child in your arms for the first time, you might think back to your youth. You can decide at that moment that you won’t use corporal punishment, for instance. You may decide that if your kids don’t want to eat their broccoli at mealtimes, you’re not going to make them sit at the table for hours until they relent. 

Being a parent means you get to write the rules. Yes, that does mean responsibility, but you can also change anything you feel was lacking when your parents raised you.

Express Your Love

One thing you should certainly do as a father is express your love for your child. There is a prevalent notion in American society that fathers should be stoic and unfeeling. That led to several generations of men who didn’t hug their kids, and the words “I love you” seldom, if ever, came out of their mouths. 

Thankfully, those ideas are dying out with the older generations. Now, psychiatrists know that fathers telling their kids they love them is great for an enduring, healthy relationship. 

You should not think an appropriate masculine model should be an unfeeling, uncaring automaton. It’s okay not just to tell your kids that you love them but also to show emotion. You should not feel bad about crying in front of your kids if the family dog dies or something else tragic happens in your life. 

On the contrary, letting yourself feel and show those emotions might be what it takes to prevent your kids from bottling up those feelings in the future. That’s much healthier than swallowing sad feelings or trying to hide them at the bottom of a bottle. 

Fatherhood can be a blessing, and you should regard it as such, even the unplanned variety. Maybe things don’t necessarily happen for a reason, but being a father is a growth opportunity, and it’s hard to see any negative in that.