What is that? (Τι είναι αυτό;) 2007 from MovieTeller on Vimeo.

A lot has changed. The cool thing is that since I have changed, new things come in to my life at a steady pace. The more I change, the more I grow, the less boxed in I feel and the more amazing life gets. Lesson? One word:  Change.

So, one week ago my amazing wife gave birth to our incredible son, Lucian. If you’ve never witnessed a woman give birth, it is something beyond words, beyond powerful. It was emotional and epic for me. I’m seeing my wife, and women in general, different now. There’s more respect and honor.

I write about this because I want to keep you posted from time to time about what it’s like being a new dad. I hear that new Dad’s face many challenges. Some of these common challenges uttered by friends and clients include:

1. Feeling more stress if you feel like you have to be the provider.

2. Feeling neglected by the wife. If she’s breastfeeding, a lot of guys feel like they are “second in line.” Many guys report shutting down some and withdrawing from the relationship

3. How do I balance being the “provider” and being home enough to feel like I’m involved and being a good dad?

How then does a new Dad deal? What should he do? Well, a couple of months ago, I asked many new Dad’s this same question. I did a survey and these are the top seven things they told me, in order of importance.

1.    Take care of yourself, maintain sense of self, time for self
2.    Take good care of your wife and cultivate your relationship with her, ongoing. Sex etc
3.    3 P’s. be Patient, be Proactive and be Present
4.    Don’t take it all too seriously
5.    Take care of your money situation
6.    Get support from other dads/guys
7.    Be transparent

If you’re a new Dad, or have been one, I wonder what you think? Please comment…