In My Daddy Era: Confessions from a First-Time Father
In My Daddy Era is a place for me to slow down and say the things I don’t want to forget.
Each episode is a short reflection on becoming a first-time father. The moments that catch me off guard, the feelings I didn’t expect, the fear, the joy, and the quiet in-between. Sometimes it’s something big. Sometimes it’s something small. But it’s always honest.
This isn’t a parenting podcast or a guide on how to do things “right.” It’s more like an audio journal of me talking through what fatherhood is teaching me in real time, while I’m still learning it myself.
The episodes are short, lightly edited, and recorded whenever life makes something feel worth capturing. Just reflections I want to remember… and maybe something my daughter will hear one day and understand how deeply she was loved.
In My Daddy Era: Confessions from a First-Time Father
Flowers to the Women Who Made Us
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The story goes that when I was born, my dad was so enamored with me that he forgot everything else for a second, including my mom, who had just given birth. (I get it, I was adorable.) Once he realized his mistake, he brought her flowers to make up for it. That story always stuck with me because it’s a reminder that even when the baby is the center of the world, we can’t forget the women who carried them here.
My dad always told me to learn from his successes and his mistakes, and this was a big one. It is so easy to lose your partner and yourself. When you have a baby. In this episode, I’m reflecting on our second Mother’s Day and the journey from that "dummy-proof" pregnancy test to the third-trimester waddle.
In this confession:
- The "Dummy-Proof" Result: The moment joy, fear, and terror all hit at once on the bathroom floor.
- The Mama Shift: Acknowledging that as much as my daughter loves me, sometimes she just needs her mom, and I’m grateful for that.
- The Physical Toll: Reflecting on the permanent changes and the mental strain of creating life.
- A Legacy of Love: A special shoutout to my wife, my mother (sorry for messing up the modeling career!), and all the women in the village.
So the story goes that when I was born, my dad was so enamored with me that he forgot everything else for a second, including my mom who had just given birth to me. I get it, I was adorable. Once he realized, he brought her flowers to make up for it. That story has always stuck with me. It reminded me that even when the baby is the center of the world, we can't forget the woman that carried them here. Hi, I'm Rick, and this is in My Daddy Era confessions from a first-time father that is really thankful for his wife. My dad always told me to learn not only from his successes, but his mistakes as well. Probably even more so from his mistakes. That particular one stayed with me. It's really easy to lose your partner and yourself when you have a baby. It's something that my wife and I diligently work at, and we've had varying degrees of success over this past year or so. As you know, once you start to figure it out, everything changes. So we're constantly learning, adapting, and adjusting as my daughter grows. Last Sunday was Mother's Day, the second Mother's Day that my wife got to celebrate as a mom, and the second time I got to celebrate her. I got her this cool ring. Well, I bought it, we're waiting on it, that is made out of her breast milk. That's what she wanted, I don't know, but it looked pretty cool though. Well, it will when it gets here, but that's neither here nor there. I'm so very grateful for my wife. Not only for her carrying my daughter for nine months and a tremendous physical, hormonal, and mental strain that I put her body through, not to mention the permanent changes that happen when you have a baby, but for her showing up and taking care of our daughter every single day and providing and giving her things that I can't. As much as my daughter loves me, sometimes she just wants her mom, and I'm grateful to have such an amazing partner. I still remember being in the bathroom with my wife, holding our breath, waiting for the results. After five minutes, I look down and I'm filled with tremendous joy and fear with a side of excitement and terror. Go figure. No mistaking it, we had bought a dummy-proof test, and it simply read pregnant. The joy came from knowing my wife and I had created something extremely beautiful. Life. The fear came from the unknown. No matter how ready I thought we were before the test, it just hit different when it actually came back positive. I remember talking to a friend of mine before who has four kids, and she told me, You're never ready, but they come and you figure it out. I honestly don't know how you prepare for a baby, but with every doctor's appointment, talk with friends that are parents, every video, TikTok, Instagram about babies, I started to feel less and less prepared. You know, usually it works the other way around, but in this particular case, it just made me feel less ready. The most beautiful part about watching my wife grow as my daughter grew was knowing that what was being made was made out of love. And I also loved my wife's little waddle when she hit her third trimester. It's a beautiful thing. I think about watching my wife grow and the discomfort and the sleepless night she went through, and it reminds me my mother did the same. I wonder if my parents were as nervous when I was on my way as my wife and I were when my daughter was coming. Thank you to my beautiful wife for being an amazing partner and a fantastic mother. Thank you to my mother for all that you've done to protect and raise me over the years. I also messed up my mom's modeling career, so an extra special thank you, mom. Love you. Shout out to my daughter for making my wife a mommy and my mom a granny. I hope to one day see you become a mommy if that's your wish. I love you all. And also, another big shout out to all the amazing moms out there. Whether birth, adopted, mentor, god mom, guardian, everything in between, thank you. The love you give helps keep this crazy world that much more sane. There's nothing like a mother's love. I'm still figuring a lot of this out, so I would love to hear your story and advice. Just click the link in the show notes and send me a message. And if you'd like to help keep the diaper fun stocked, you're always welcome to join the village by clicking the support link in the show notes. As I continue my journey in my daddy era, I'm still learning, still growing, and still showing up. Because the moment I get it down pat, that's when everything changes. Until next time, and another happy Mother's Day to all the mommies.