6 months in and I finally feel like a real dad

Dec 11 min read

My boy is 6 months old today. Honestly for the first few months I felt like I was just... helping. Like my wife was the real parent and I was assisting. But somewhere around month 4-5 it clicked. Now he reaches for me when I come home. He laughs at my stupid faces. Yesterday we were playing and he grabbed my nose and I just felt this rush of love that I can't really describe. I know this is basic dad stuff but I needed to say it somewhere. He's the best thing that ever happened to me and I'm just starting to actually believe that.

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Comments(8)

GGreg W.Regular18h ago

That moment when they reach for YOU and not just whoever's closest? That's incredible. The 'it clicked' is the right way to describe it.

DDale J.Regular16h ago

Month 4-5 is when it shifts, yeah. That's when they start being an actual person instead of a potato that cries. The reaching-for-you moment is everything though. Congrats man, you're officially unlocked actual parenting.

FFrank T.Regularjust now

This is exactly what I needed to hear at 3 months in. My wife keeps saying I'm doing great but I feel like I'm just... existing around the baby. Hearing that it clicks around month 4-5 gives me hope that I'm not gonna feel like a backup parent forever.

GGene K.Regular6h ago

This post made me emotional honestly. Congrats on getting to the other side of that 'am I actually bonding or just existing in the same room' phase. That's real.

PPaul M.Regularjust now

Congratulations dude. Genuinely. The fact that you noticed and named that shift means you're actually present for it. A lot of dads miss that moment.

SSam F.New Dadjust now

This is beautiful. The "helper" feeling in early months is so real and then suddenly you're not assisting anymore, you're parenting. And the baby recognizes YOU as the parent. That's huge.

TTony F.Regularjust now

The stupid faces moment is when it really clicks. Like they're laughing AT something YOU did, not just reacting to stimulus. That's when parenting stops being abstract and becomes real.

HHugh S.Regularjust now

Month 4-5 is exactly when I felt it too. By month 3 I was helping. But then one day he got upset and wanted ME specifically and something just shifted. You went from assisting to actually being Dad.