Macho men with daughters

[dreadi]

Sorry, not sorry. My daughter is almost a year old and I have a lot to say for advice as my mind keeps circling back over the past few months.

If you live somewhere with Amazon service, you can sign up for a baby registry of just a diaper fund. If you're using disposable diapers, you can expect to be using about 300 diapers a month if you're changing early and often.

Get a nice reclining/rocking chair that's comfortable for you and your wife. Get a boppy pillow for arm support while you're sitting and holding your baby. Be mindful of rocking and feeding at the same time. They can easily get nauseated and vomit all that milk/formula.

Get your own diaper bag separate from mom's. Tactical Baby Gear makes manly looking and functions bags.

Used baby clothes work just as good as new ones. Old Navy usually has out of season design jumpers for $6.

Don't start behaviors that you will have to work them out of such as bottles in bed if you can avoid it. Although it is easier to put them back to sleep while they are laying down in their bed with a bottle in their mouth. Especially at 3am.

 

[StupidLightweight]

Congrats, OP. Get ready for the adventure of your lifetime.

My daughter was our first child, and her birth was the most amazing thing I'll experience. As soon as her little body came out of my wife, my life changed, a switch was flipped. Three years later, I doubt I'd recognize the old me prior to kids. As you'll soon find out, becoming a father is that big of a life change.

Though I'm now poor, have zero free time, tired as hell, and struggle at being the best parent to our girl (3) and her brother (21 months), I feel so lucky to have healthy kids, food in their bellies, and a loving wife to share the trenches with. In the end, they're all that matters.

Make no mistake, parenting will be the best job of your life. It will also be the hardest. As others have said, spend as much time with your daughter as you can. Love her. Show her compassion. Above all else, be the best father you can be.

 

[Mtank79]

I have 4 daughters ages 24,19,2(3 next month) & 14 month & a 2.5 yr old granddaughter. When my wife was 31 weeks pregnant with our soon to be 3 year old she was admitted to Vanderbilt. We were told she would be there until she had the baby & they wanted to keep the baby in as long as it was safe for both. My oldest daughter was pregnant at the same time & came to visit. That got some looks having your pregnant wife in the hospital on bed rest while your oldest daughter is also pregnant visits her. Our daughter was born 7 weeks early & weighed 3lbs 9 oz & spent / weeks in the NICU.Between my wife & Dani we stayed in Vanderbilt exactly a month. I don’t consider myself macho by any means but I’m 6’5” 230 navy vet, Harley rider , hunter, drag racer & make a living working with missiles. But when there’s something going on with your wife or you have to see your baby girl hooked up to all the monitors will humble you real fast. Our 14 month old was a total surprise but I thank God daily for them. I screwed up a lot with my oldest two & God granted me a do over.
Always always always tell her you love her, let her know you’ll always protect her from whatever it is. Invest in a good baby carrier, we have a few but with our 2 yr old I used an ergobaby all the time. My wife breast fed both , so I don’t have a lot of bottle time. Hell she’s still nursing them almost 3 straight years of a baby on the boob. Like mentioned above get your own diaper bag. My wife got me a tactical dad bag backpack. The back panel section unzips & make into a changing mat. When it’s zipped up though you’d never know it. I’ve carried it all over the country & to UAE twice for work.

 

[Greenbelt]

I’ve been sitting around, patiently waiting for a couple of weeks now on the birth of my DAUGHTER! I’m still trying to wrap my head around that. Like most men, I thought my whole life I was going to have a son if I did have kids at all.

I’ve never changed a diaper! My one hunting buddy told me I was going to do great at it and said “you’ve dressed a lot of animals, it’s the same thing, just don’t get any poop where it doesn’t belong.”

To be honest, I’ve always wanted kids. Just wasn’t really happening. I commercial fish for a living, so I’m often gone for half the year. Half of the rest of the half, I was always gone hunting or out on an adventure. This year I’ve canceled my sheep hunt and caribou hunt. Super super weird. But my taxidermist ensured me, raising a daughter is better then any sheep hunt!

Let’s hear it! I’m curious to hear y’all’s advice. What’s it like raising a little female version of yourself?

I had kids young and old. lol. All three of them are girls. I cant speak much on having boys, but I know a lot about the girls. Mine are ages 20, 16, and 8. The guy who said the first 13 yrs are fun pretty much nailed it and they are all gonna be different My advice; treat their Mother with the utmost respect, and let them see you be in love with your wife. Always open the car door for them (mom first). Do not take any of this for granted.

I’ve been sitting around, patiently waiting for a couple of weeks now on the birth of my DAUGHTER! I’m still trying to wrap my head around that. Like most men, I thought my whole life I was going to have a son if I did have kids at all.

I’ve never changed a diaper! My one hunting buddy told me I was going to do great at it and said “you’ve dressed a lot of animals, it’s the same thing, just don’t get any poop where it doesn’t belong.”

To be honest, I’ve always wanted kids. Just wasn’t really happening. I commercial fish for a living, so I’m often gone for half the year. Half of the rest of the half, I was always gone hunting or out on an adventure. This year I’ve canceled my sheep hunt and caribou hunt. Super super weird. But my taxidermist ensured me, raising a daughter is better then any sheep hunt!

Let’s hear it! I’m curious to hear y’all’s advice. What’s it like raising a little female version of yourself?

I had kids young and old. lol. All three of them are girls. I cant speak much on having boys, but I know a lot about the girls. Mine are ages 20, 16, and 8. The guy who said the first 13 yrs are fun pretty much nailed it and they are all gonna be different. My advice; treat their Mother with the utmost respect, and let them see you be in love with your wife. Always open the car door for them (mom first). Do not take any of this for granted. You one day will miss it all. The tantrums, the sleepless nights, the first days of school, parent teacher conferences, homework, sports, all of it. The only thing you will regret is not being there more and that's it. Its gonna go fast, so make sure you live in it, being part of their story and yours. Like someone else said; hold that baby every chance you get.

 

[neandth]

I definitely fall in this isle, I wanted a son... a kids i could see myself through.. I want a son most especially as my first child... I was over the moon when i got what i prayed for.

 

[Predator_SD]

Just focus on being a Dad man. So many kids grow up with crap parents and it sets them up for failure. If you put the kids needs before your wants you’ll do fine.

Congrats!

 

[SuperDUECE22]

For those of you that missed it you may want to circle back to page #1 post #14

 

[Customweld]

For those of you that missed it you may want to circle back to page #1 post #14

That one hits pretty close to home! My youngest daughter is dating a kid with a jacked up 3rd gen Cummins.
Edit to add, He's a good kid and I like him. He works as a Project Manager for his family's construction company during the day and is a diesel mechanic at night. The kid works his butt off. And he treats my daughter much better than she treats him at times.

 

[DapperDan]

Check your pms Topher.


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[hunt1up]

I have a 14 year old daughter and 12 year old son. My son is an outdoor maniac but my daughter holds her own. But a 14 year old girl shouldn’t have already killed two 150”+ whitetail! She was at the high school football game and one of the dads there that’s an outdoors guy told her how he’d asked his son how archery was going in PE at school. He said fine, but they my daughter made everyone look bad. Proud moment there, lol.

We’ve tried to raise our kids the same. I started them in the outdoors young, as I’ve learned more from the woods than I ever did from sports. I always make a point to take them to the stand about an hour too early before deer move. They don’t know I’m doing it, but it has really taught patience. When it comes to sports, I don’t care if they’re the best, just that they give 100% effort. And if they sign up for something there’s no quitting option, you made a commitment.

When they’re young, read, read, read to them! And make them read when they’re able. And keep them on a reliable schedule, even into the teen years. All the kids I know they don’t have a proper sleep schedule turn into wild beasts!

It’s a lot of fun. My daughter had her first boyfriend this year. Seemed like a nice enough kid. But he broke up with her, so I didn’t have to deal with him too much. I’m fine if the next one doesn’t come along any time soon, lol.

 

[Telford29]

These two girls have hunted and harvested bear, elk, deer, grouse and one of them a moose. They process their own meat and can their veggies. They are both in their twenties now. It has been an amazing adventure with them.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

My 2 daughters are 20 and 18. Both are now in college and we're empty nesters for the first time. I tried to expose them to everything as they grew up, and always endeavored (not always successfully) to match their intensity for hunting and fishing vs. their matching mine. This approach worked out pretty well, and both experienced great success on whitetails, countless panfish, and my oldest's first elk last fall.

My advice is to meet them where they're at and keep it fun, regardless of the activity. At the end of the day, if it's not fun, they won't want to do it when you're not around.

 

[JohnsIsl]

This thread is awesome… We have a 2 year old girl. The days can be slow, but the years fly by fast.

The only advice I have to give that I don’t think has been already provided is that you don’t need all the ‘baby things’ that social media and all the marketing says you need. Bottle warmers, specialized bottle cleaners, $400 baby cams, etc… So much of that stuff isn’t really needed and in many ways you and the little one become a ‘slave to those things’. Set up an investment account for her and put that money you saved in it.

 

[WRO]

I’ve got 4, they’re awesome.


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[DapperDan]

I might catch some flack for this, and if so, it is what it is. As a father of an 8 month old daughter I can’t sit back and be silent. Do with this info what you want. My wife and I made our decision before we got pregnant bc I knew then what is coming out now. I was a RN at one point in my life and I could smell the bull**** 5 years ago.

All I ask is that this thread doesn’t get detailed. No politics. This is about the health and overall well being of our children.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1965529865962357201

https://twitter.com/x/status/1965498678141243402

https://twitter.com/x/status/1965555172446535688

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[grossklw]

JFC can’t say I had anti-vax post on my jeopardy board for this thread.

Daughters are great, I’ve got a 3 and 1 year old girls (and a 7 year old son but he’s all boy) My middle one is a 3 year old version of me. Which will be awesome when she’s 20, but now right now she’s an absolute train wreck of a human being and I love (almost) every second of it. Suck it up and do the girly stuff if she wants. I play my fair share of dolls, makeup, and doing teddy bear pony’s hair. She doesn’t care if you like it, she cares if you’re there.

Enjoy the ride man, and your toes may not look quite the same on your next hunt. My buddies try giving me crap but I fully embrace it now and who says no when a 3 year old says “Daddy can I paint your toes?”

 

[johnnycake]

My daughter has been my little murderous psychopath sidekick from Day 1 and she is always up for an adventure! Her little brother has fun with us too, but he's usually not as interested or willing to endure the elements as she is.

I can't wait to take her on her first big adventure hunt next month. This little 12 yr old is gonna look so damn cool on top of her first coastal brown bear!

 

[PanhandlePilgrim]

Congratulations. I am a father of 2 girls, one is 8 and I refer to her as my sidekick because she goes just about everywhere with me and the other is almost 2 and seems to be on a solo mission to destroy the house. Wouldn't change it for the world, I was in your shoes and always thought I'd have a boy and that just wasn't it the cards for us.

 

[PanhandlePilgrim]

It's great! Start them out young and they will probably more into doing outdoors stuff then you are!

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Nice boat! I have one just like it!

 

[TopherDave]

JFC can’t say I had anti-vax post on my jeopardy board for this thread.

Daughters are great, I’ve got a 3 and 1 year old girls (and a 7 year old son but he’s all boy) My middle one is a 3 year old version of me. Which will be awesome when she’s 20, but now right now she’s an absolute train wreck of a human being and I love (almost) every second of it. Suck it up and do the girly stuff if she wants. I play my fair share of dolls, makeup, and doing teddy bear pony’s hair. She doesn’t care if you like it, she cares if you’re there.

Enjoy the ride man, and your toes may not look quite the same on your next hunt. My buddies try giving me crap but I fully embrace it now and who says no when a 3 year old says “Daddy can I paint your toes?”

My nieces got ahold of me the night I proposed to my lady, I thought it was just going to be the toes. All the while in my head I’m planning on proposing the next day. Well they did my fingers too! And I popped the question with different colored fingers. I’m not worried.