Will I Be Good Enough?

Something that I expect a lot of expectant fathers go through is the worry that they may not be a good enough dad. This is foremost on my mind at the moment. I know I won't be the perfect parent, but I want to try and be the best I can for baby.

I want to be good enough. A good dad.

Something that has been playing on my mind of late is that I want my baby to be proud of me. I want it to look back in later life with fondness. I know that by the time my child is capable of reminiscing it will have completely forgotten about its early life, but I want to do the best I possibly can from day one.

People are telling me, endlessly, about sleepless nights to come. About the tiredness and the stress and everything else that goes hand in hand with raising a baby, and I am trying to prepare myself for it. I want to face these challenges head-on and do my very best for this brand new person.

But the question remains – Will I be good enough? Will I be able to be the father that I want to be? I hope I'm not alone in these concerns, and if you're going through something similar, I can relate. Sadly, until the actual event and the subsequent years of fatherhood, I doubt there'll be a proper answer for anyone.

Friends are telling me, because I am concerned about being a good enough daddy right now, then in all likelihood I'll do well once baby is here. I am not convinced, but not because I don't respect the opinions of my friends and loved ones. Not at all.

I am not convinced because this is a whole new world for me, uncharted territory, an all-new experience. I have no experience that compares to this, and as such I can't help but be concerned. Will I be a good enough daddy? I don't know, but I'm going to try. I promise.