Future dads club

In today's episode, we dive deep into the heart of fatherhood with Eric, a soon-to-be dad navigating the complex emotions and preparations for welcoming a new life into the world. From his reflective journey on the influences of his upbringing to the anticipation of crafting new traditions, Eric opens up about the nuanced path to parenthood. As we explore Eric's story, we touch on the sign...

If you've ever heard a parent sing a silly song and wondered why they'd make up silly songs, then clearly there isn't any joy in your life.  Erica found  her memory of songs we'd sing little guy fading from memory.  So what better way if memorializing dinky tunes than putting them on our podcast.  If you get an earworm, don't blame us, you've been warned.  Enjoy!

In this episode I have a conversation with my friend Zarko, who learned he and his partner were expecting a child.  You'll get to hear Zarko consider his upcoming role as a future dad in the first trimester, in the third trimester, and once he comes up for air, in the fourth trimester.  This one way we thought of capturing his thoughts as they evolved over the duration of the pregnancy,...

My wife shares what she thinks she could have done differently in preparation for her new role. She also muses on what the role of a future dad could be.

In part 1, Erica shares her birth experience. I challenge her to dig a little deeper, because I know what she experienced wasn't as simple as she made it sound. Have a listen, and as always, feel free to share this podcast with a friend you think might appreciate knowing they're not alone. 

In this episode, my partner shares her side of the story. I've split it into 4 parts to make what is an emotional and demanding day a little lighter yet relatable for you. If you're a future dad, I encourage you to have a listen with your partner.  We hope our story gives you something worthwhile to discuss, or highlights insights to explore. 

The longer I live, the more it seems, that details surrounding major life events are private and not to be discussed too openly. It could also have to do with how comfortable people are at digging a little deeper and questioning things. For example buying a car, or a house, are two things that require an appetite and stamina for bargaining and possibly not getting what you want. In a North America...

I like to understand the etymology of words, particularly in Arabic because it can be poetic at times.  For instance, the Arabic word for human being is Insaan.  From what I could find, it could have two roots, one is to forget and the other is to relate, to love or be loved.   So now I'm thinking wow! to relate, and to love or be loved, that makes sense that they're similar, that's what relations...

I'd previously shared that my dad met his father at the tender age of 16.  I might dive deeper into his story in a future podcast, but suffice to say, his idea of what a father's responsibilities are, did not fully align with my needs.  Keep in mind, that, there is a nagging feeling in the back of my head that tells me I'm lucky.  Call it survivors guilt, but as a child that survived a war, and wa...

Outside of this whole future dad thing being what my friend described as the only time you'll have "stress filled fun", one of the reasons I believe I needed to undergo this self reflective process was synthesized by a pair of voices I've recently enjoyed listening to on the "find the outside" Podcast.  On an episode where they reflect on their ancestors, Tim and Tuesday shared the idea that quote...

Because so much of my partner's life energy and routines were bump centered, an inherently physically and emotionally taxing process. I initially wasn't as useful, or supportive as I could have been.  We didn't know how to communicate about our new need to divvy up this responsibility of bringing the child into the world in a way that makes sense.   One of the things I heard often, was the beautif...

When asked what having a child meant, my friend said "History doesn't end with me", it was much more profound. The idea is that having a child activates a mortality mirror, this lil bean may create a drive in you to do better, or stay alive long enough until they're no longer dependant on you for their survival.  Another friend said, "I started spin class, don't laugh, I used to make fun of i...

I recall a story my dad told me about the first time he met his father.  He was playing football, soccer, on a dirt lot, when a man who seemed familiar walked towards him.  He squints at this man through lashes made heavy by salty sweat, and without the drama of buzzing sounds of lightsabers. Hears the man say, I'm your father. 

I remember taking my phone off airplane mode and my phone buzzing a lot more than usual, it had a bunch of missed whatsapp calls and messages from my siblings, they're much younger, so if it's not on snapchat, it had to be important. I was worried, because we live oceans apart. so when I reached out, I learned it was because they had a heartfelt conversation with our dad, well past midnight, when...

Laying the ground work for what this is all going to be about. A set of short musings and mostly reflections on my struggles with being a future dad who wants to become a present dad. I don't know a lot of guys who want to talk about this in public, so I'll start by talking to myself. If you know a future dad, send them my way, I'd love to know what's going through their head.

I'm not sure I fully realized that this child was coming in to the world for most of the pregnancy. There were no changes in habits, morning sickness, or cravings in my body to make it "real". I had to feel ready, in the beginning, for this to end as quickly as it began. Because I needed to be strong for any possibility.