GTPlanet Dads!

I've said this to my partner that I don't want a complicated life, I don't care for chasing money working 12 hours shifts just to say I earnt 500k last year. All I want to do is to travel about when the wee one leaves home, she'll be 19 when I'm 40, then retire on my terms around 62-65 rather than the 72 I've been quoted by the Government. That's all. Also I'd like to own an Aston, other than that I am all good. I like to get home from work, play with the 1 year old, have dinner, put her to bed and have a few hours on the Playstation, simple life, less hassle.
 
When I reïncarnate, I'll promise you I'll try to become a dad or maybe even a mother. :D

I'll let you know.
 
Being a father has always had an odd feeling for me.

I actually want a child to raise and look after at this point but my Asexuality and me also being an Aromantic, kinda prevents me from having a partner. Which'll make things very difficult for me to not only get a child but to also raise one which will probably be too much for me :/.
 
Being a father has always had an odd feeling for me.

I actually want a child to raise and look after at this point but my Asexuality and me also being an Aromantic, kinda prevents me from having a partner. Which'll make things very difficult for me to not only get a child but to also raise one which will probably be too much for me :/.

Adoption?
 
A full reading of the discussion would have uncovered this post:

LOL - We don't debate in the Magazine, ibo - that was already done - and wow - quite the debate! This thread was put up a year ago for just such a debate - though it seems that Dad's are always busy - doing that hidden work, with no time to debate.

Yup - Father's day is on the way.. . . make sure everybody around you knows! (If you're a Dad)
You don't have to be a Father; there's a difference. Even insects can be Fathers - but it takes a special person to be a Dad.


Belated Congratulations, spunwicked ( damn - I'm going to be late in other ways, today, ;) ) You must totally enjoy being a Dad now - there's no feeling that can compare with the feeling of a Dad looking at their new child. It fills your heart with the kind of joy that cannot be expressed in words - though maybe a picture can capture some of the Happiness expressed.

As for Men's Hidden Work!!!!!
Yah! We do a lot of hidden work. It's not that women work harder or men work harder; it's just that the spotlight never gets turned on us - the hundreds of little things we do as Men (and Dad's) get shoved under the carpet of being taken for granted. :grumpy:

Never mind the Dad's that left their families and were forced to go to war.. . .

As for the Dad's Corner - I'll be updating the OP, soon, with the names of all the Dad's we collect in here. Dad/son-daughter combos that play videogames together are specially welcome!

I have three kids that all battle me at different games. It's a total blast. Losing isn't good though. Don't let 'em knock you off your pedestal! If you do fall off - recover quick by buying a round of ice-cream; that usually gets the hero-worship going again.

Cheers, and talk soon.
Harry.

Which would have elicited this:
"You don't have to be a Father; there's a difference. Even insects can be Fathers - but it takes a special person to be a Dad."
 
Be there for your wife and new child. Best of luck and well wishes. 👍
Yes, first and foremost!

Ken
Congrats man. :cheers:

Thank you all for your wishes.

My wife is resting, waiting for the contractions to kick in stronger.

We still have a few more hours.

The nurses have finished the initial prep work, so we all waiting now...

Our first daughter (2) is staying home with Granpas and Granmas.

I am staying put, waiting to help the wifey when she looks like she is about to need any...

Its great to have GTP around to share this moment
 
Thank you all for your wishes.

My wife is resting, waiting for the contractions to kick in stronger.

We still have a few more hours.

I'm sure a few GTPlanet Dads have spent a sleepless night, fingers crossed, and pacing their living rooms waiting for news of the new little citizen of Time, @CTznOfTime, hoping for a candy cigar. :D
Here's hoping for very good news soon! And pics! (If poss.)

Our first daughter (2) is staying home with Granpas and Granmas.
there's just too much fun happening! :lol: And so much ahead, too. :cheers:

I am staying put, waiting to help the wifey when she looks like she is about to need any...

Having been through the birthings of all my children right there by my wife's bedside from first to last, I'm giving you top marks already for very good daddy material. Hang in there, buddy!

Its great to have GTP around to share this moment

You bet - there is no other community around like GTPlanet - and thank you for sharing your happiness.
 
I became a dad for the second time last night :)
It was a unexpected home birth, my boy decided he just couldn't wait. Everything was going smoothly and according to plan, then it was like the flick of a switch, missus says call the midwife...scrap that call the ambulance, the baby is coming now !! I delivered my baby boy about 5 minutes before the ambulance arrived :D
Everyone is all good..I'm still in a bit of shock :lol:

My daughter has her 2nd birthday next month too :)
 
Cheers all ☺
Was definitely an experience!
It's kinda weird, sometimes a minute felt like an hour, and other times an hour felt like a minute.
When the ambulance arrived they asked me what has happened. .. I put my hands on my head and said I don't know :lol:
 
Went and saw my daughter's first softball game today. She didn't do to bad, 1-3 with a run. She was paying more attention to me than the ball. But it was exciting, for what it was. I can tell that it was something that she fully enjoyed.

The only crappy thing about it, she stole my favorite hat after the game. I just got that hat too. Poo.
 
Cheers all ☺
Was definitely an experience!
It's kinda weird, sometimes a minute felt like an hour, and other times an hour felt like a minute.
When the ambulance arrived they asked me what has happened. .. I put my hands on my head and said I don't know :lol:

Did you have blood on your hands? How did you manage the cord? Don't tell me you wrestled with the placenta, too? :scared:
You are somthing else, man. :lol: Hearty congrats - and your name duly registered in the OP as an official 'long-suffering' GTPlanet Dad.
Feel free to use this thread any time you need a pat on the back for being a good dad - or at the very least some quirky story that only dads would understand.

Ken
Went and saw my daughter's first softball game today. She didn't do to bad, 1-3 with a run. She was paying more attention to me than the ball. But it was exciting, for what it was. I can tell that it was something that she fully enjoyed.

The only crappy thing about it, she stole my favorite hat after the game. I just got that hat too. Poo.

Welcome to the machine, brother.
My youngest a few days ago started whining that his winter jacket was too heavy and that his spring jacket was frayed and he needed something light. Quite foolishly I volunteered to lend him my precious 'Fonzie' leather jacket.
Not sure what 16-year olds do at school but the jacket came back completely out of shape. Crushed, wrinkled, and stretched all in one. At the very least it looked terribly hung-over.
That's it then. No more. We're kaput in the clothes-lending business even if my clothes fit him now.
Kids! *growl.
Obviously I love him to death, though - and he might never understand till I'm dead and gone - the way I understand my own dead-and-gone Dad now.
 
Welcome to the machine, brother.
My youngest a few days ago started whining that his winter jacket was too heavy and that his spring jacket was frayed and he needed something light. Quite foolishly I volunteered to lend him my precious 'Fonzie' leather jacket.
Not sure what 16-year olds do at school but the jacket came back completely out of shape. Crushed, wrinkled, and stretched all in one. At the very least it looked terribly hung-over.
That's it then. No more. We're kaput in the clothes-lending business even if my clothes fit him now.
Kids! *growl.
Obviously I love him to death, though - and he might never understand till I'm dead and gone - the way I understand my own dead-and-gone Dad now.

I feel your pain. I had a leather jacket once. Then my 16 year old nephew took it. I didn't have it for a month. In his defense of though, he took pretty good care of it and still wears it 5 years later. Ke'ala, my daughter, annoys me though. She steals any decent hat of mine simply because it's dad's. Then I'll be hard pressed to even see it again in my lifetime. I swear she has a collection of my hats under her bed at her mom's house. It's hard to no to her however. I know she takes them to stay connected to me when she's at her mom's place. How do you really say no to that?
 
:lol:

This is deep. You need to keep an eye on this. Something's going on. Is she filling in for you with her mom? Is Mom burning the hats? Is there another man involved?

I might just go paranoid on your behalf.
 
Happy Fathers Day GTP Dads!

My wife and kids spoiled me, completely unnecessary but it's nice :)
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Have a great day everyone!
 
Happy Fathers Day, GTPlanet Dads!

A Happy Fathers Day to all you Great Grand Dads - I'm sure there must be some of you around.
Happy Fathers Day to all you Grand Dads.
Happy Fathers Day to all you Godfathers - I'm one too!
Happy Fathers Day to all you Stepfathers - great job and you deserve a pat on the back today. And, yes, I'm a stepfather, too, and know the satisfaction of a job well done.
Happy Fathers Day to all you Fathers! Yup, been there and doing that, too.
Also - I know, that with the evolution of our socio-intellectual mind, there are many of you out there not regarded in the mainstream as 'fathers' even though whatever gender-role you are labelled as playing you also play the role of 'Dad' to a child or children - a very Happy Fathers Day to you, too!

A final word to all those who have actually fathered children - remember: you took the initiative. If you hadn't, then that child would not have walked the Earth today.

In that sense - you are special.
Be well.
Love, Harry.
 
Happy fathers dad GTP dad's. I had completely forgotten about this thread and just realised that since my last post here ive had a second child!

Hard work with a 2.5yo and a 3.5 month old but worth it. Two daughters though... I'm sure at least one will like cars. :dopey:
 
Congratulations to all new fathers and fathers to be on GTP. I'll will never know how it feels to be a dad.
 
I'll never know how it feels to be a dad.

What does it feel like to be a fortune teller?

This year Fathers Day (Father's Day or Fathers' Day - pick your fight) turned out to be not so much 'usual'. Grown-up kids tend to colour life in a different way obviously than toddlers and adolescents.
I had three adults around this year as 'kids' ("Children, Harry, children - only goats have kids!")
and we had such an unbelievably great time I was actually mollified.
There was a point in raising children that I thought they would
always hate me, never understand me, a stupid endeavour anyway.
And then comes that day when you're all together at a bar, as guys, enjoying a drink together and you see the look in their eyes that expresses their happiness at being alive and that YOU were responsible for that . . . and that beats everything.

Imagination is no substitute for experience.

You can quote me on that.
 
What does it feel like to be a fortune teller?

This year Fathers Day (Father's Day or Fathers' Day - pick your fight) turned out to be not so much 'usual'. Grown-up kids tend to colour life in a different way obviously than toddlers and adolescents.
I had three adults around this year as 'kids' ("Children, Harry, children - only goats have kids!")
and we had such an unbelievably great time I was actually mollified.
There was a point in raising children that I thought they would
always hate me, never understand me, a stupid endeavour anyway.
And then comes that day when you're all together at a bar, as guys, enjoying a drink together and you see the look in their eyes that expresses their happiness at being alive and that YOU were responsible for that . . . and that beats everything.

Imagination is no substitute for experience.

You can quote me on that.

I'm a young dad right now (24 if you really want to know:D). I enjoy my 2 young boys very much. It does come with its challenges like toddler tantrums, but reading this makes me enjoy things much more. I really enjoy spending time with them now, I'm just really excited to hit my 40s and my 2 boys into their 20s, that will be tons of fun and a memorable time for all of us. :cheers:
 
Hi, GTPlanet Dads!

Around 40 years ago my face began to get really itchy. There was stuff sprouting all over it. I would get comments like: 'What's that on your mug?', 'Is that a caterpillar on your lip?', 'Need a lawn-mower?' and sometimes even, 'Hi Fidel!' (a bit of an insult at the time.)

This went on for some time - while I kept eyeing my Dad's razors. He had several (the old-fashioned twin-edged blades clamped over a cigarette-sized handle) and even the cut-throat one one needs to strop to sharpen. Finally my GF of the time started grumbling about my face scratching hers. It was time to save face.

The great day came - everyone had left the house and I was home alone. Time for shenanigans - my date with a Wilkinson sword. So there I was contemplating Dad's razors (with mixed feelings) and ready to make the first cut.
First there was a lot of playing around with his brush and shaving cream. And some "Ho! Ho! Ho!'s". It was a bit of a mess, but I was determined to get this job right.
Then a bit of a ponder while regarding the razors, which resulted in me stroking my beard thoughtfully - and another mess.

Alright - start again. Clean hands, soggy face, select a brand-new blade from his pack, struggle with shaking fingers to get the blade clamped in the razor I had picked, put it aside, mop my face again with the foaming brush, and then hold the blade in front of my face thoughtfully. Where to start?

Okay. Swipe. 'Argh!'. The first cut is the deepest - I throw the razor into the sink and start desperately laving my face again. Pink all over the sink. Bloody swords! An examination reveals a small cut. A small recess while I check this out and realize the cut has already stopped bleeding and was looking quite satisfied being the little scar in the middle of a bald spot on my face.
Back to lathering again. Now I had a bit of a sting on my face, but it was too late to stop. Rinse the razor, align the blade to face, and this time a little more careful as I scoured my cheeks with this lethal tool.

As I got accustomed to the technique it became kind of fun. My bare face started to show. Another person stared back at me in the mirror - someone ugly as hell and a complete stranger. Too late I realized my fuzz was actually more than cosmetic - it was a disguise. The GF wasn't going to like this.
If she did like it, then obviously she had a thing for different faces, and I was headed for more trouble in the future.
Already a lose-lose situ.

A thorough clean-up of the area had to follow - if my Dad caught me, I would definitely catch it.
The clean-up didn't help; he caught me:

"Huh . . . 'arry? Didja use my blades?" This question in an ominous tone.
"Huh, what what? What? Bl-blades? What blades?" I'm already lying through my teeth - my face is evidence enough of having had a close shave recently. (Took him a day to realize someone was messing around with his razors.)
He starts to laugh. (My dad had a pretty weird sense of humour - saved me from punishment many a time.) 'You're a bare-faced liar," he said. "What razor did you use?"
"Um . . . um. . . ."
"You're not supposed to use someone else's razor, son. It's not hygienic. You'll get a rash."
"Oh!"
Now he leans closer to peer at my face. I stand stock-still. Humour or not, my father also had a temper.
"You cut yourself!" he accuses me.
"Ah! Yes," I replied, quickly shifting the blame: "The bloody blades are so sharp---"
"Don't swear. The blades are supposed to be sharp. Never use a dull blade, you'll cut yourself more."
I don't want to believe him - this sounded like nonsense but it was time to play hang-dog, not big dog. (Later on, as a budding cook, I realized the truth of his statement.)
He was checking out his haberdashery meanwhile and then lifted a razor. "You used this one, didn't you?"
"Um . . . yea . . h."
"Now you can keep it. Boil it first."
"Boil?" I might as well have shaved my eyebrows, too, they were threatening to meet my hairline.
"Yes, it needs to be sterilized. Boil some water and put this in a bowl. " He hands me the guilty razor. "Take this, too," he says giving me the half-pack of remaining Wilkinsons. "Go get yourself some shaving cream from Boots. You're gonna need some."

Then he goes into a little lecture while I stand there with my shaving loot: about the importance of the first shave, about upward and downward strokes, about side-burns, and goatees, and Groucho Marx, all the while shaving and talking to himself in the mirror, one bulging eyeball occasionally cocked sideways at me to check if I was listening.
My eyebrows were all ears.
Finally he shooed me out, and I scuttled away thankful he wasn't bristling more, and quite hyped-up about my new possessions.

I used that razor for years - and then as the world got more modernized ending up eventually with a cordless Braun.

This incident (like many other run-ins with my Dad) stuck in my mind - but never surfaced when it came to my own sons - and I've had three. (So far.)
My first son sprouted bristles gradually, then took off looking like Che to Uni. Now he looks like Castro, seemingly quite in fashion.
My second son did the same, gradually getting hairy and looking like Heston playing Moses, before he took off to live on his own in another province altogether.

But then - a few months ago - quite unexpectedly, while pottering about at home, I hear a voice behind me saying:
"Dad, I need you to teach me to shave."
I turn around to see my third son looking at me quite unemotionally.
"Oh!" I say. (Oh! is usually a good defence when one is totally gapped-out.)
"Yeah, I need to take a shave."
"Oh!"
He looks at me, frowning like thunder now. "What's wrong?"
"Oh! Nothing, nothing. Good idea! I'm glad you asked me first. Yes. The first shave is very important! This impacts on all future shaves."
He gives a little groan. He thinks a huge discourse on the philosophy of shaving is about to happen.
"It is," I say. "You need to get your own razor. It's not hygienic to use anyone else's. You'll get a rash. There's upstrokes and downstrokes to think of."
'Really?" He looks a little more interested now.
"Yup, yup, yup," I say, totally in command now: I'm the Dad, see? "Don't worry - I'll get you a new razor today - and all the trimmings. We'll shave together tomorrow."
"Okay, he says, and vaporizes - he's one of those physics/chemistry bods that are very objective (about pretty much everything) and doesn't waste time on pleasantries.

That evening I sourced a really great Gillette (which cost an arm) and a pack of blades (a leg) and a can of shaving cream (almost free in comparison.)
The next morning we had our first (and probably only) shave together and it was a heap of fun. I'd take a stroke, and he would follow, two faces staring at each other in the mirror.
Oh! Yes - I really hammed it up, doing the whole Big Daddy-o in control of lethal tools and showing how they have to be used to my kid.
A memorable event - and only possible because I happened to be the Dad.

Have a Happy Father's Day, guys!
 
My 12 year old is starting to shave (just helped him for the first time a few weeks ago). I'm fairly confident it's because of his medication. He's quite proud of his 'stache. And refuses to shave it.

My 14 year old is still baby but smooth.

I look like an adolescent Wookie.
 
Harry, if even a small selection of your posts were published in a book it’d be a best seller. Always great to read.

I was never taught to shave by my dad. I practiced as a kid with the bubbles from the bath as foam and a ruler in place of a blade. I was 6.

Once I actually started to get a hairy boat, which was about 20 year old, I just bought the stuff and did what I’d seen people do in movies.

Just recently I switched to olive oil in the place of proper shaving foam and it works a treat and is cheaper too as I use it on my hair as softener each day. I also keep my blade (Gillette Vector - cheap but efficient) in a bath of mineral oil to prolong the life of the blade. I would go back to straight blade shaving but it’s just too labour intensive to be doing it even every other day.
 
Harry, if even a small selection of your posts were published in a book it’d be a best seller. Always great to read.

Thank you, Sean. As I've always said - a book is only as good as its reader.
Because I don't write to please everyone, the few I do for get it. :dopey:

I was never taught to shave by my dad. I practiced as a kid with the bubbles from the bath as foam and a ruler in place of a blade. I was 6.

Gad! I think we have all done that at one time or another. I'd use a popsicle stick.

Once I actually started to get a hairy boat, which was about 20 year old, I just bought the stuff and did what I’d seen people do in movies.

W. T. H . . . is a 'hairy boat'? :scared:
I don't want to imagine. I guess Google is going to teach me something new again.

Just recently I switched to olive oil in the place of proper shaving foam and it works a treat and is cheaper too as I use it on my hair as softener each day. I also keep my blade (Gillette Vector - cheap but efficient) in a bath of mineral oil to prolong the life of the blade. I would go back to straight blade shaving but it’s just too labour intensive to be doing it even every other day.

Olive oil, eh? Well, now I got to try it out. Makes sense, though, when one is salad-faced.
I switched to cordless razors when I was a young adult - A Braun, several Philips, a Remington . . . then back to the new triple-bladed funky-shaped razors - presently a Gillette.
There was a time I may have liked shaving, or even didn't mind it, but now I look in the mirror and think 🤬 I gotta shave again.

BTW - almost 25,000 posts? We joined the same time, man - you've been busy!
 
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