Maybe you’ve been waiting impatiently for the past 11 months, or maybe you’ve only been a dad for a matter of days or weeks. Irrespective, your first Father’s Day is one to treasure. A time for you and your family to celebrate all that is great about being a dad. Here’s five of my top tips on how get the most out of your first Father’s Day.
1. Share your greatest dad jokes
Today is your time to shine. To unleash your very best (or very worst) dad jokes, and induce as much groaning and eye rolling as humanly possible. Although baby is still a bit young to fully appreciate your witty humour, that’s not to say you shouldn’t be practicing your repertoire on your partner, your family, your friends, the neighbour, the postman, or the old lady you pass in the street.
Tell them about the time you got sacked from the calendar factory for taking a few days off. Or about the time you had a dream that you were a muffler, and woke up exhausted. On this day of all days, the world is your stand-up comedy stage. Embrace it.
2. Be a daggy dad
One of the greatest pleasures of being a dad is that you no longer have to keep up to speed with the latest fashions, and you can let yourself slide into dagginess. Whether it’s wearing your oldest trackies, a cardigan with leather patches on the elbows, barbecuing in your shortest footy shorts and an apron with fake boobs on it, or swilling your beer from a stein with ‘Best Dad Ever’ emblazoned across it. Today is your time to unleash your inner daggy dad in all of its glory.
3. Take some time out
Have some one-on-one time with your baby where you can reflect on the kind of dad you want to be, and the kind of adult you’d like your baby to become. Also, take some time for yourself. Whether it’s hitting the gym, the golf course, or the couch. Chances are you don’t get as much ‘you’ time as you used to. Today is the ideal opportunity for you to hop off the hamster wheel for a moment or two and indulge yourself.
4. Dress baby up
Dad fact: On Father’s Day, the sole purpose of having a baby is for your own personal amusement. It is therefore the perfect opportunity for you and baby to dress up and get out and about. Matching Hawaiian shirts. Superhero outfits. Team colours of your favourite footy team. The possibilities really are endless.
5. Spare some thoughts for your own dad
Good, bad or indifferent, your dad is still your dad. Like him or not, he has helped to shape you as a human and as a father, whether it’s in his mould, or you’re choosing to forge your own path. Either way, he’s had a massive influence on you. I for one will be picking up the phone, calling my dad and telling him that I love him and that I’m grateful. Knowing my dad, he’ll probably reply with “Pleased to meet you Grateful, I’m Dad.”
