The Father I Thought I'd Be: The Hidden Reality Behind the First Three Months of Fatherhood - Paperback

by Long Dao (Author)

Before my daughter was born, I knew exactly the kind of father I would be.
Calm. Capable. Patient. The kind of dad who instinctively understood what his child needed and supported his wife with quiet confidence.
Then the first three months arrived.
Instead of confidence, there was uncertainty. Instead of instinct, there were sleepless nights, frustration, and emotions I hadn't anticipated-anger, jealousy, guilt, and doubt.
And beneath it all was a question I was afraid to say out loud:
What if I'm not actually good at this?
Most parenting books explain how to care for a baby.
Few talk about what happens inside the parent.
The Father I Thought I'd Be is an honest account of the first three months of fatherhood-the expectations we carry into it, the identity we confront along the way, and the quiet realization that struggling doesn't make you a bad father.
If you're a new father wondering whether these emotions mean you're failing, you're not alone.
Because the hardest part of early fatherhood isn't the baby.
It's confronting the father you thought you would be-and discovering the one you're becoming.

• Understand the emotional reality of the first three months
• Feel less alone in the frustration, exhaustion, and doubt
• Discover that struggling doesn't make them a bad father