Chris,
Share. Gusto ko marinig from you. Haha
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Den - so far, the hardest part ng married life ko ay raising a kid. Expectation ko is around 9/10 ang difficulty, in reality parang nasa mga 20 ang difficulty level hahaha.
Things I learned:
- Being selfless. Before it used to be me me me. Ngayon, I sometimes forget myself because it's all about the baby. It's so hard that I even feel depressed sometimes, I gained a lot of weight, ate a lot, lost time to exercise and all those me times were gone. I hope to bring my me time back (hopefully this 2019) kaso maliit pa si baby. We'll see.
- Baby wants mom for sleep time and cuddling, but he wants DAD for playing, adventure and thrill. Sometimes nagtatampo ako pag mas preferred nya mom for sleeping, pero that's the reality of life. Kids prefer their mom to soothe them but they prefer their dads for FUN. Not a bad thing if you think about it.
- Pee and poop are everywhere. You have to clean it. Medyo hands-on parent kasi talaga ako so hawak kung hawak sa dumi! LOL. (I know right? Where was the cool Chris before?) But then again, that's part of growing up and being more matured.
- Bukod sa paglinis ng poop, pinakamahirap magpaligo. Kasi madulas so dapat ingat ingat lagi.
- Kids need to bond with their parents. You need to set time to play with them. Wag text ng text FB ng FB. They want to play WITH YOU not with their inanimate TOYS.
- You should teach them to socialize with other kids.
- Even as a baby, I bring him to Church and teach him to pray. Kahit di pa nya naiintindihan, he needs to slowly get the habit of listening (and talking) to God.
- Bawasan ang too much gadget, screen or TV time. Let them play with non-tech toys, games and activities. They need it for their motor skills.
- Wag masyado maselan sa food. During my first few months as a dad, my wife and I OBEYED everything that the PEDIA said. Hands down lahat ng sinabi nya. However my baby lost weight kasi masyado maselan sa food. So dapat pala, pakainin ng pakainin kasi growing kid nga! Experience is the best teacher so listen to tips coming from lolo / lola (that is your parents) because they know how to raise a kid. Napalaki nga kayo, so malamang maayos naman ang tips nila sa pagpapalaki.
- Once magka-baby, bawas na ang travel. Kasi una, super inconvenient. Sisimba lang kami 2 bag dala namin plus stroller. How much more kung out-of-town or out-of-the-country travel? I went to FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 last year (with the whole family) and guess what, isang buong LARGE luggage ang laman lang gamit ni baby. May stroller pa. And syempre may sariling luggage pa kaming mag-asawa.
- Gastos! It's so hard to budget, because daming gastos.
*With all the difficulties I mentioned above, I really wonder how young/teenage parents do it and I'm impressed by their ability to raise a kid at such a young age. Ako kasi if I were in my teens or early 20s, I wouldn't think I'd be suitable enough to be a parent. I'm not prepared physically, mentally and emotionally. Di ko kakayanin sa totoo lang. But now, that I'm more matured and grown-up, mas kaya ko na ihandle siguro (kahit hirap pa rin).
So yes, pinag-iisipan talaga ang pagkakaroon ng baby.
But on the bright side:
- Seeing your baby smile at you is the best thing in the world. Kahit sobrang pagod ka na sa kanya, pero pag nginitian ka na or tumawa, SOLVE na lahat.
- When your baby cries pag papasok ka na sa office, you are torn between going to work and staying at home. You realize that this tiny little human NEEDS you because you ARE EVERYTHING to him.
-When you come home, bubuksan ko pa lang pinto, naririnig ko na na sumisigaw na si baby ng DADA. (he's still trying to say Daddy) and then pagbukas ng pinto tatakbo sayo at aakap sayo - and YES guys, that is one of the best FEELINGS in the world.
So far ito. MARAMI pang iba. hehehe.