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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.

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In My Daddy Era: Confessions from a First-Time Father

Canceled Birthday Dinner to IV Drips - The Daddy Pivot

April 22, 2026 • Richard Dodds • Episode 8

0:00 | 4:29

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They say being a father is about being the rock of the family, but even rocks can get taken down by daycare germs. I thought I’d be spending my birthday week at a nice dinner; instead, I found myself in the hospital watching an IV drip.

In this episode, I’m confessing the reality of the "immune system boot camp" and how I’m learning to navigate life as a Daddypreneur. From a "mild" case of Hand, Foot, and Mouth in the nursery to a major wake-up call for me, this was a week of forced reminders to slow down and reprioritize.

Inside this episode:

The Birthday Pivot: Why red bumps on a toddler’s hand meant my dinner reservations were officially off.
The Hospital Wake-Up Call: Dealing with dehydration and a virus that hit me much harder than it hit my daughter.
The Daddypreneur Mission: Balancing a full-time job, a growing business, and a sick household without losing my mind.
The Silver Lining: Why I’ll gladly trade a celebration for quiet, sick moments with my "number ones".

I’m Rick. I’m still learning, still growing, and still showing up—even when I desperately need more Vitamin C.

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On the morning of my birthday dinner, we woke up like any other day. We started to get ready, and then my wife caught me into my daughter's room. And just like that, the dinner was off. Hi, I'm Rick, and this is in my daddy year. Confessions from a first-time father that should probably start taking more vitamin C. The morning in question, my daughter had woken up with red bumps on her hand and foot. If you have kids, you probably could guess what she had. Hand foot and moth had been going around her daycare, so her getting sick wasn't the biggest surprise since it's highly contagious. Luckily for us, her case was a mild one. The thing that was a surprise is that a few days later, when I was taken to the hospital for being extremely weak, having trouble getting out of bed, and just not feeling my best at all. I remember that car ride. I was so worried, I was like, Lord, keep me because I gotta get back to my daughter, my baby needs me. I was like probably the most dramatic I had ever been. Turns out when I got to the hospital, they said I was dehydrated, so they put me on an IV drip. And they also said that it was some kind of virus in my system that they couldn't pinpoint. I wonder what that could have been. If you said hand for the mouth, ding ding ding ding, you are correct. Unfortunately for me, my case was not nearly as mild as my daughter's. I had bumps everywhere and was so uncomfortable and itchy. When she started going to daycare, friends warned me that for the first 12 to 18 months, I should expect my daughter to get sick on a pretty regular basis as she built her immune system. They told me the silver lining was that once she's older, her immune system will be incredibly strong. I never expected to consistently be building my own immune system too. There was a three-month period where my wife, daughter, and I were consistently sick. My daughter would get sick, I would get sick, and I would get my wife sick. But at least we were together, right? See? Another silver lining. One thing that I'm learning quickly as a father is that there are always gonna be inconvenient times that I'm gonna have to pivot for one reason or another. Maybe my daughter gets sick on my birthday, or her school loses power before I'm headed to work. Knowing what the priority is has helped me keep things in perspective. My family is number one. So if I have to cancel a birthday dinner or work from home because her daycare is closed, I'll gladly do that. Added bonus is I get to spend more time with the people I love most. As a daddy peneur, a term I modified from a TikTok my wife sent me by Pops the accountant. I juggle working a full-time job, raising a daughter, being a husband, while also trying to build a business. And trying to have just a normal life as well. I gotta I gotta have fun too. Talk about dad guilt. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Shout out to my wife. I can't do any of this without her. It's hard to be away from my family while working, but a big part of why I'm building my business is because of them. The drive to make something that outlives me has been so much stronger since my daughter was born. I think it started out at first as an extra weight, but now it feels like an extra boost of energy propelling me towards my goals. I say all that to say this. Sometimes those inconveniences have been great reminders to slow down. Put down the work, it'll still be there tomorrow, and remind myself of the reasons why I'm doing this in the first place. To my family, I love you more than I can ever express. You're always my number ones, and I'm thankful for every moment we spend together. Even when it's just quiet, even where we're all sick. I prefer being well though, but even still, I appreciate every moment with you. I love you. I'm still figuring a lot of this stuff out, so I would love to hear your stories and advice. Just click the link in the show notes to send me a message. And if you want to help keep the diaper phone stocked, you're always invited to join the village by clicking the support link in the show notes. As I continue my journey in my daddy era, I'm still learning, still growing, and still showing up. Because the moment I get a down pat, that's when everything changes. Until next time.