I had just finished a workshop with a group of administrators, and a participant came up to me and said, “I had seen you speak before you had your daughter and I wanted to tell you that you seem much more empathetic in your delivery. It was nice to see you grow.”  It meant a lot to me.

Here are a few (of the seemingly endless) things that I have noticed since becoming a dad.

1. I cry all of the time. Like, all the time. There is some sad crying but lots of good crying as well.
2. I seem to spend less time on things that could bring me down because I am very aware of my mental health and mood when I am around Kallea and I spend more time focusing on people and things that lift me up. She makes me really happy, and I want to do the same for her.
3. I feel like I have a different purpose than I did before. Many things that were once important to me aren’t as much, and things that weren’t important at all, now seem to be at the top of my list.
4. When I think I have figured out being a dad, I tend to stumble. Parenting is tough.
5. I understand my parents a lot more and appreciate all of the sacrifices they made for me to have opportunities they didn’t.

Parenting is a fantastic journey.