Remember those days, pre-children, when you thought you knew what you were in for as you made plans to have a family? Were you trained for it or was it all a surprise? Did what you expected turn out to be anything close to what you experienced—all the late nights, bonding, aggravation, and love? What was the hardest part? What did you expect when you were expecting, and what did you experience that you never would have known to look forward to (or not)?
In this installment of The Good Men Project‘s “Let’s Ask Dad” series, Ken Goldstein asks our panel about their real-life reactions to the reality of life as a dad, and how they currently think about those early days (and all the moments since).
Our panel of writers and dads Kyle Lawrence, Will Klein, Asif Ahmed, Jared Mercier, and Admond Fong recount the hopes, fears, expectations, and true-to-life emotion that they developed, go through, and count on. Whether they’re admitting to how aggravating their kids can be, or reminiscing about how much they missed them that first time they were away, these dads can’t deny that life post-child is a daily adventure full of missed expectations and new wonders.
◊♦◊
In this video series, The Good Men Project’s Ken Goldstein interviewed seven dads across a spectrum of different backgrounds. They were different ages, their children were different ages–some had one child, some had several. They came from different backgrounds, income levels, commitments to faith, and hopes for the future.
What these dads have in common is a profound love for their children, deep reflection on the impact of their own fathers on their lives, humble concern about wanting to make consistently good choices for their children, and hope that their children will grow up resilient and caring in a world with unnerving obstacles at every stage of life.
“Let’s Ask Dad” is the conversation about fatherhood in the 21st century on The Good Men Project.
Ken Goldstein, The Good Men Project Board Member speaks to the experience:
“I sat in the studio and got to know each of these fine men through their detailed answers to our deceptively simple questions, I was struck by the commonality in their integrity, candor, introspection, and keen insights into the forever moments of parenting. Any single moment of a child’s development might or might not become a memory, but the memories each of these individuals recalled with resonance were as different as they were as human beings.”
Join us below in the comments, answering how you expected things to go before you had children and how they’ve actually gone since—in as many sentences as you want.
Together, let’s have the conversation no one else is having about dads in the 21st century.
◊♦◊
Watch these previous videos in the series:
What Do You Worry About In The Future When Your Children Are Adults?
Let’s Ask Dad Overview: The Series Begins
Are Your Children More Like You or More Like Their Mom?
What Advice Would You Give New Dads?
Describe Your Dad in a Sentence or Two
How Has the Word ‘Love’ Changed Now That You’re a Father?
What’s the Best Advice Your Father Ever Gave You?
◊♦◊