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Seeing Through Mommy's Eyes

How Dads Can Beat 7 Common New Parent Stressors

By I.J. Schecter

Prior to having a son, every man tells himself it doesn't matter whether he'll be able to throw a ball, catch a pass or sink a basket. Then, once that son arrives, those same fathers suddenly become less worried about whether he can read or write than whether he has good early running form.

Whenever you catch yourself disproportionately focused on things like agility, balance and hand-eye coordination, try to adopt the perspective of Mom, who's more concerned with fostering well-roundedness through exposure to a variety of different people, places and things. Or at least sing him a song or two while doing those ground-ball drills.

One common fear new mommies have is no longer being attractive to their partners. Consider enduring nine months of unstoppable weight gain only to finally deliver the product of those months, and then listen to the person who used to be ga-ga over you talk endlessly about the beauty and perfection of the new little creature instead. Though it makes intuitive sense that a mommy would enjoy nothing better than hearing people compliment her child, this is true with respect to everyone besides you.

Want to see more?

• Dad's New Role: Should a Worried Father-to-be Share His Concerns?
• Putting Yourself in Her Shoes: Sympathy-Building Exercises for the Dad-to-be
• What Is Dad's Role: A Quiz for Fathers-to-be
• Talk about it!

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