The Baby Show has been asking dads about their experiences of being a father as part of a new survey that found seven out of ten dads want to spend more time with their own words. Here they are in their own words, sharing their personal experiences of fatherhood.
The experiences were gathered as part of a survey that asked dads to offer fatherhood tips to dads-to-be and found that seven out of ten dads want to spend more time with their children.
How did you feel when you first held your baby for the first time?
“I was very proud, emotional and totally fell in love with him as soon as I held him for the first time. I knew he would change my life forever, in the best way.” Cary Fernandes, dad to Nathan
“Holding my little Layla for the first time was the most magical experience of my life.” Sagar Desai, dad to Layla
“I felt an overwhelming sense of love, it was an amazing feeling, holding this tiny, little helpless person for the first time and realising she was my daughter and finally here.” Kevin Smith, dad to India
“I felt an overwhelming responsibility to protect him and an unconditional love for him.” Ben Kirkham, dad to Jayden
Do you think the attitude and expectations of dads has changed compared with previous generations?
“Dads are expected to be a lot more hands-on compared to previous generations. With the likes of David Beckham and Brad Pitt leading the way, dads are expected not only to be the providers but also nurturers which I don’t think was the case in the past.” Amit Kumar Mehta, dad to Akhai (pictured above).
“Definitely, the modern man does it all! We are supportive, helpful and 100% hands on.” Sagar Desai, dad to Layla
Do you plan to be like your own dad?
“My dad was my hero and I hope I am even a fraction of the man he was.” Ben Kirkham, dad to Jayden
“I plan to be different. The school of thought was different in my father’s generation – particularly as he was not brought up in this country.” Ranjiv Sadarangani, dad to Roma
“I hope so – my dad is pretty awesome. He struck the perfect balance between discipline and having fun when we were growing up. He’s more like my best friend – we still spend a lot of time together and have a laugh. Hopefully I can be the same to Akhai.” Amit Kumar Mehta, dad to Akhai
“No, my dad was hard but fare. He is from the old school, where men go to work, and the mums stay at home and cook, clean and look after the kids. I fit my kids around my work, not the other way round. Watching them learn new things, seeing them talk, their first steps and watching them laugh, cry and play makes life worth it.” Cary Fernandes, dad to Nathan
“If I turn out to be half the dad mine was to me, I’d consider myself lucky.” James Robinson, dad to Elsie
The Baby Show takes place in London from 20-22 February, 2015
In the run up to launch of the film Down Dog on 13 February, insideMAN is running a series of articles about fatherhood and we’d love you to get involved. You can join the conversation on twitter by using the hashtag #MenBehavingDADly; leave a comment in the section below or email us with your thoughts and ideas for articles to insideMANeditor@gmail.com.
For more information about the film see www.downdogfilm.com