Our 847th Dad in the Limelight is Paul Matthews . I want to thank Paul Matthews for being a part of this series. It has been great getting connected with him and now sharing Paul Matthews with all of you.
1) Tell me about yourself
My name is Paul Matthews, I’m a Software Engineer 9-5, a freelance writer in the evening and, since last month, a newbie dad. Greg came to us after me and Kara have been married for 2 years (we’re both 28).
2) Tell me about your family
I met Kara when we both were in Uni 5 years ago. After 3 years together, we decided it was about time to step up the game a bit. She’s my other half and she understands how I’m feeling every single day. She works in fostering Manchester now.
3) What has been the largest challenge you have had in being a father?
I’m still new to this, but so far the whole mental preparation, I’d say: I think that being a dad is something that really grew up in my bones when Kara was pregnant since I was constantly thinking about how, what and why I can be the perfect dad. Of course, waking up every night because Greg is crying is a bit hard sometimes (haha!)
4) What advice would you give to other fathers?
BELIEVE. I was a nerdy kid with almost no friends and I found the love of my life and now I have a family like I always wanted. Also, don’t give up on your dreams, work hard and sacrifice yourself for your kid’s future, it’s all worth it.
5) How have you come to balance parenthood and outside life?
That is a very hard question: to this day, I am still trying to follow my agenda, but sometimes I do have to delete some appointments because Kara was ultra tired and I had to take care of Greg. To balance our working life and our family, we work as a team, which is (and will always be) the best thing to do.
6) What have you learned from the fathers that you have interacted with?
I learned everything (and I still am) from my father. He is my hero and will always be. Since I am the only dad between my mates, currently, he’s the only one that is currently guiding me through this journey. I have an awesome teacher, though, so I’m not worried.
7) What else would you share regarding your experiences as a father thus far?
Personally, the whole preparation and these months to me have been incredibly useful to me: not only I better learned my weaknesses and how to manage my stress level, but I was also able to get closer to Kara, even if we’ve been together for 5 years.
8) What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a parent?
The day Greg came to life, I was speechless, but let me explain it better: I was barely able to move, speak or do anything. I was literally staring at that pretty boy thinking about what we made and what the future would have been. This is an instant that will stay with me forever.
If you have any questions for Paul Matthews, 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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