Brayden, My Unbelievable Joy

Spotlight Series: Fathers from Dadday classes share their experiences with fatherhood

Fatherhood.  In just ten letters, that word somehow encompasses the dynamic experiences that I have had raising my son.  It is only one word, but gosh, it means so much.  I often flash back to those special moments leading up to my son’s birth.  The world seemed to stop when my wife, Laurie and I found out we were pregnant.  Fast forward, I was in a dreamland as I made the mad dash from uptown to our hospital downtown when Laurie went into labor.  The culminating moment was when I finally shook the hand of the little man that would forever change my life.  There truly is no day more special than October 5, 2011 when I became a father to Brayden Chase Carter. 

Those scenes play like a movie in my mind and the film gets longer and more interesting every day.  Nothing could have prepared me for my lead role as “dad” because it surprises me continuously.  Any father reading this knows that surprises are the only consistent thing about parenting. 

During the months before Brayden’s birth, I was how overwhelmed with being a new father.  I did what we all do.  I read the books, I talked with friends, I talked with Laurie but I never felt completely ready.  It took some time to understand that the “completely ready” feeling I was looking for was impossible to reach. 

One thing I did do was attend a workshop in my community by an organization called Dadday.  My wife, Laurie, had heard about Dadday from her doctor.  She encouraged me to take a Dadday class to fill the knowledge void I was feeling about fatherhood.  I was skeptical at first but I attended a workshop with other dads that were like me—new and nervous about becoming fathers.  It was a supportive environment that finally gave me the capacity to calm down and enjoy the next few months leading up to Brayden’s birth.

I reflect on that a year later and think about where my family is now.  Brayden is a healthy, bubbly, happy baby that manages to get into everything.  As I’ve grown in this role, I have come to understand the many gifts of fatherhood.  There is nothing like feeling the love and acceptance from your child; it is something that I hold close to my heart every single day.  The only thing that I can do is continue to appreciate all that Brayden gives me: unbelievable joy.   

A Little Humor For The Week

Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories.  ~John Wilmot

Dynamic Dads Supporting You!

The other day, the Dadday team was going through our social media platforms to better gauge the support that exists for fathers.  Sidenote–be sure to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and connect with us on LinkedIn if you haven’t done so already.  What we found was incredible and astounding.  There are literally hundreds of groups, people, organizations and more, with the specific goal of helping you become the best father you can be!  How lucky you are!

With this in mind, the Dadday team wanted to take a moment to say that we are so grateful to be a part of the growing network of men and women coming together to support current and future fathers.  The need is there, and our Dadday students show us every day how critical our work is.

As an organization, we hope to bring the all of these networks and resources that exist in the social media world, down to a level that is comfortable and accessible for all fathers.  If you are looking for the space to discuss and toss around ideas on how you can be the best father possible, stop by a Dadday workshop.  It isn’t too late to sign up for our October 21st workshop.  Simply visit our website, www.dadday.org for more information.  The conversation that day is sure to be helpful and dynamic, so we hope to see you there!