Our 826th Dad in the Limelight is Joel Davies of Lionminded . I want to thank Joel Davies for being a part of this series. It has been great getting connected with him and now sharing Joel Davies with all of you.
1) Tell me about yourself?
My name is Joel Davies and I run the blog Lionminded – it’s a look into Parenting and Mental Health and how those two don’t always get along. Writing has always been a passion of mine, and being able to get my thoughts out there is important for myself as well as normalising the conversation about mental health.
2) Tell me about your family?
I live in Swansea, UK with my fiancée Sara and our one year old Rory. He is an absolute bundle of energy, and without a doubt the most important thing to ever happen to me. Myself and Sara both face struggles with our mental health – our goal is to work as a parenting team to make sure Rory has the best possible upbringing.
3) What has been your largest challenge you have had in being a father?
As selfish at it sounds – losing my free time. I have always been a bit of a lone wolf, and having a bit of time to recharge has always been a staple coping method. So learning to overcome that and find new methods has been quite the challenge.
4) What advice would you give other fathers?
Parenting is all about team work. Keeping your partner healthy and happy is just as important to parenting, as anything you can do. When parenting is taking its toll on you, knowing that the responsibilities can fall back on your partner – theres nothing more important in my opinion.
5) How have you come to balance parenthood and outside life?
As I touched upon earlier, it was a struggle at first. I have a lot of hobbies and interests, and sacrificing the time I would normally dedicate to myself was quite a shock for the first few weeks. But to be perfectly honest with you – the time i spend with my family is far more enjoyable than anything else I could be doing. Rory has hit an stage in his development where he is starting to show interest in new things, so introducing him to my interests and hobbies so we can participate together is going to help us bond more – as well as help him develop his own tastes and interests.
6) What have you learned from the fathers you have interacted with?
Everyone has their own struggles going on. What my kid might be great at, another Dad might be struggling with that same thing with their kid. There is no right or wrong way to do this parenting gig, but its important to have conversations and discussions with your dad buddies to learn and help improve your parental hustle.
7) What else would you share regarding your experiences as a father thus far?
Document as much as you can! Write about what your child is doing, no mater how insignificant it may be. Take pictures and record videos all the time. We use a service called Lifecake to store all of our Rory related media – this lets family and friends watch him grow if they cant be here all the time. Parenting is the most important and remarkable jobs you will ever have – don’t be afraid to learn. Take the bad with the good, and most importantly… ENJOY IT.
8) What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a parent?
There are two:
- For the first 6 months, whenever Rory wouldn’t go to sleep – I would rock him while holding him, in a completely dark room with nothing but a Bon Iver album playing and a small light machine. This would guarantee sleep every single time. It was integral to the early bonding between us.
- Last Friday, I got home from work and communicated with Rory to find out what he wanted to do, whether he was happy, and made him laugh. It hit me how in just over a year, this little newborn boy that came and changed my life, was now full of personality and so smart. It was a very small (but significant) moment, that made me realise that we are all sculpting the future of our society through the actions these little dudes watch us do. I am a firm believer in your kids being your best friends, and I can’t wait to see what he will do next.
If you have any questions for Joel Davies, please leave a comment here and I will make sure that he gets them so that he may be able to respond!
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The post Dads in the Limelight – Joel Davies of Lionminded appeared first on Dad of Divas.