Preparing Boys for Fatherhood — Part 1 — A Father’s Day Series
Yesterday, Monday 21st June, the world celebrated Father’s Day. I gladly received several messages from friends but the best and most heartwarming messages came from my children. I felt so blessed and feel compelled to reflect more on journey.
In the next few days, I would love to share some lessons I have learnt over the years about Fatherhood. It is my hope that these lessons will be helpful for new fathers, upcoming fathers and planning fathers.
- Family Finances
About 6 years ago, I became a father. I remember the day very vividly. I remember holding my child in my hands with so much excitement and joy. It is also at this moment that I remembered that I was not prepared to be a father. We spent a total of 3 days in hospital because my wife had delivered by C-Section and by the end of our time at the hospital, bills had piled up; the costs were way beyond what I had budgeted for. I had assumed that my wife would deliver naturally, and the child would breast feed naturally. I also knew nothing about immunization and the various medication the baby needs to receive. We had also bought a few diapers and clothes for the baby, but I did not think the diapers would be used up by the time we left hospital and that some of the clothes would not fit. Long story short, the delivery bill was more than double what I had planned. I had to buy formula milk as the baby started getting used to breast feeding and had to start looking for diaper wholesalers to buy in bulk and at reduced prices. Becoming a father disorganized our family budget for the next 6 months, it was only then that we were able to gain some stability and manage well our family finances. I also learnt to always have some emergency money on me as a father as “emergencies” keep coming up all the time when you are running a family.
In the part 2 tomorrow, I will share on planning out your family.
