So my son is 4 months old now and I STILL feel like I'm playing house sometimes. Like I'm babysitting and his real parent will come pick him up soon. Is that normal? I change diapers, do feeds, handle bedtime, all of it, but there's this weird imposter feeling. My wife said she felt the same way around 6 months so maybe it's just a timeline thing? But it's kind of unsettling to be honest.
Honestly I didn't feel like a real parent until my kid was like 2 years old and actually had a personality and responded to me. Those first months are survival mode, you're not supposed to feel connected yet.
Four months is still super early. You're doing great even if it doesn't feel like it. The feelings catch up eventually.
At 4 months you're still in the fog. Give it more time. One day your kid will do something that makes you realize you actually shaped this person and that's when it clicks.
I felt like a real parent when I had to make an actual parenting decision that mattered, not just keep the baby alive. Like enforcing bedtime or dealing with frustration. That's when it got real.
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The babysitting feeling makes sense because you literally are still babysitting in a lot of ways. Once the kid starts having opinions and preferences and a personality that YOU specifically influence, that's when it feels different.