Five Things No One Told You Before You Became A Father

There are few life events that change everything as much as the arrival of a baby in the home. Yes the comments of 'you will never get any sleep' or 'your life ends while theirs starts' may be ringing in your ears from all corners but the reality is you're excited and have no idea what to expect. Preparing your baby room can be as expensive as it is memorable and this should be the easy part! Remember if you are looking to move out all the extras in your home to make way for the new arrival you can store it at your nearest Stor-Age branch, check out our self storage space estimator here. To help you become a little more prepared we put together five things that no one told you before you became a father.

1. Being called "dad" is amazing
Even the manliest man will have his heart melted the first time he hears the word, "dada" from his precious child. No matter the circumstances, this one word (especially if uttered before mama) will make you want to squeeze and love your child forever. In years to come "dad" will be the go to for advice, love and laughter in equal quantities. Also you no longer have a name... you are just someone's dad.

2. It's true, you will never grow up
Settle this now, if you have a girl or a boy, playing with them and their toys will satisfy you about as much as it does them. Especially when those toys become electronic like remote cars or a PlayStation. You will dress up like a princess, have your nails painted, be a horse for rides and throw so many balls your arm will be sore. However this is all in the name of good fun and a laugh.

3. 50% of your time
Now that you are a dad, a minimum of 50% of your time will be spent on fetching items, carrying bags, or getting food. Tasks like packing the car, getting the pram, finding food at events and bringing the picnic basket now all become your sole responsibility. Mostly items will be forgotten in the car and the item will be needed at exactly the point in the day when you are furthest from it. Chin up soldier!

4. You will accidentally hurt your child
We may feel it is our duty to be the tickle monster, fun maker and general clown in the house. The laughter of our children a spur to keep going to ever more drastic heights to obtain an even bigger chuckle. Unfortunately this means we are going to take one or two risks in pursuit of happiness and this will lead to... "the accident." While we will be terribly upset about this, the best you can do is administer lots of hugs and kisses to make it better... before starting again!

5. You will be your dad
"1... 2... 3..." The infamous counting as you are told to do something as a child that so many of us have heard before. If there is anything you ever said you would never do as a dad, it is most likely you will do exactly that and catch yourself doing it too. Now think about the influence you are about to have on the most important person in your life.