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
The Slowest Minute: The Youngest She Will Ever Be
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When my daughter was a newborn, she had this specific stretch arms up, elbows bent, and the cutest little "duck lips" you’ve ever seen. I watched her do it every morning until, one day, she just stopped. It was the first time I realized that in fatherhood, every beautiful habit has an expiration date.
In this episode, I’m grappling with the "milestone trap" and the bittersweet reality that they really do grow up as fast as everyone says. From the exhaustion of the 2:00 AM wake-up calls to the weight of carrying her while she still lets me, I'm learning that everything is a season.
When my daughter was a newborn, she would stretch her little body out, bending her elbows in the air next to her face and make the cutest little duck lips you've ever seen. I loved watching her do her stretches. Until one day, out of the blue, she stopped. The duck-lipped stretch has never been seen since that day. Hi, I'm Rick, and this is in my daddy era. Confessions from a first-time father that's learning everything has a season. One of the first things all of my friends and co-workers with children told me was that they grew up really fast. This is another one of those parenting phrases that no matter how much you take heed to it, words can never prepare you for it. Sometimes I take some things for granted, thinking that they will always be that way, just to realize things are constantly changing. Kiss illustrate perfectly that most seasons aren't forever. The reinforcement of the realization has been such a beautiful thing for me. It reminds me to slow down and be in the moment. Just because it's like this now doesn't mean it's gonna be this way forever. That thought helps me to cherish every moment with my daughter because every time I see her, that's the youngest she'll ever be. Ever. I know a lot of times I can get caught up looking forward to the next milestone, but when I remember how constant change is, it makes me sit back and try to capture every moment because it may not ever be exactly like this again. The beauty of the other side of constant change and new seasons is those things that you're maybe not that fond of won't be there forever either. I'm looking at you sleepless nights. Knowing that my baby girl won't always be sick or wake me and my wife up every two hours makes those moments feel a little bit more bearable. Maybe just a tiny, teeny bit bearable. Yeah, let's go with that. Someone once asked me if I was worried that my daughter was starting to become more mobile and I wouldn't need to hold her as much as I do. I hold my daughter a lot. They call me a baby hog, but that's my baby, you know? I respond to that as much as I love holding her, that I would never want to delay her next season of growth for my benefit. So I enjoy and appreciate the season of getting to carry my daughter until she's ready to walk. Maybe even more because I understand that one day she won't need me to. Baby girl, no matter how big you get, daddy will be there to carry you as long as I can. As I continue my journey and my daddy era, I'm still learning, still growing, and still showing up. Because the moment I get it down path, that's when everything changes. Until next time.