First week of paternity leave and I'm already questioning everything | DadHQ

First week of paternity leave and I'm already questioning everything

May 21 min read

Took a full month off after baby number two arrived. Thought I'd be great at this.

Day 4 and I'm realizing how much my wife does every single day. I'm exhausted, baby's crying, my 4yo is bored because I'm not on top of his schedule, the house is chaos. Massive respect for what stay at home parents do.

Also weirdly missing work? Like at least there I knew what I was doing. Here I'm just trying to keep everyone alive.

6 comments170 views

Comments(6)

BBrandonNew DadMay 2

Three kids in, I can tell you that paternity leave was a total eye-opener for me too. Give yourself grace though, you're learning and that's what matters. Sunday pancakes got me through the tough mornings.

TTylerRegularMay 2

That moment when you realize how much goes into a day is huge. Don't be too hard on yourself - you're building something real by being present for this month. Your wife probably feels that too.

EEric M.New DadMay 2

Day 4 is when it all hits you. Stick with it though - by week two you'll have a totally different respect for what your wife handles daily. That realization is gold.

MMarkRegularMay 3

Day four is too early to trust your brain. You're exhausted and probably haven't slept more than an hour straight in days. Give yourself at least two weeks before you decide if you're actually failing.

CChris R.RegularMay 4

What specifically is making you question things? Because there's a big difference between 'this is harder than I expected' (totally normal) and 'something is actually wrong.' Most of it is just adjustment.

MMiguelRegularMay 3

Everyone thinks they'll be a natural at this until they're actually home with a newborn all day. Spoiler alert: most of us aren't. You're not questioning everything because you're bad at this, you're questioning because your hormones and sleep deprivation are lying to you.