Posted on Sep 12, 2015
My first child, a son, will be born in November. Can the fathers out there offer your best advice?
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Due to deployment, Skype may be the closest I get on his birthday. If you could roll back the clock to your first day as a parent, what would you do differently? What "lessons learned" could share to set a brother up for success?
Parenting
Deployment
Children
Advice
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 28
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Don't go crazy on "baby stuff". The baby won't care if everything is designer brands or from the local garage sale. They will outgrow everything very quickly, so Louis Vitton baby shoes are a terrible idea. Buy everything second hand or used (excluding diapers and bottles, of course ;o) ). Get some sleep, be patient, and remember that they will grow amazingly fast, and the hardest part is right up front. Before you know it, they'll be giggling, smiling and cuddling, and those moments are precious beyond words...
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LTC (Join to see)
I may have gone a little overboard on the car seat....but I was in "new dad" mode and since regained my senses and my wallet.
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SFC Michael Hasbun
Well, if you're going to go overboard, I think that's the most forgivable item... Can't be too safe...
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SPC George Long
Listen to your wife, your mother and all the senior women of the family. Realize children are born every day, I delivered one on a paddy dike myself. As a baby there is less to do then there would be in a few years. If you are deployed keep your head in the game. Your baby should be pretty safe without you but your soldiers need you 24/7.
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Congratulations..... and... don't let your babies grow up to be... liberals.. hahahah
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LTC (Join to see)
No danger there. Wait....damn, free will. Guess I will just have to name him Theodore Reagan Rand and hope for the best.
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Congrats! Don't treat him like a friend. Treat him like a son. Strict and fair discipline will help keep him out of trouble and when he grows up he will respect you. Trust me though, he will get into trouble, we all did things we weren't proud of, but I'm glad my father disciplined me when I began to go down the wrong path.
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LTC (Join to see)
I will have to live it to understand what you truly mean, but I agree the friendship piece will likely not come until he is an adult.
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Cpl (Join to see)
LTC (Join to see) There is a learning curve, but it can be a lot of fun also. I'm proud of my son, the decision he made to join the Marine Corps and that he received an honorable discharge when his tour ended. I'm also proud that he is taking the initiative to complete his education now that he's out.
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