And Papa Makes Three

What were your father's stories about how he experienced your mother's pregnancy with you?  
  • How did he feel when he first found out your mother was pregnant with you?
  • What was his relationship like with your mother prior and during her pregnancy?
  • Were you part of his "plan" or did he need to defer his own dreams to prepare for parenthood?  Or did he choose not to stay?
Although your father was not the one who physically carried you for nine months or gave birth to you, the way he maintained or did not maintain his role during your mother's pregnancy with you still has an impact on your way of being.  There is a part of you that thrives or grieves, based upon your emotional connection with your father.  This may surface in various ways, such as depression, anger, abandonment issues, or a sense of confidence, sense of self, etc.  Although some of the impacts may seem obvious, there is an underlying pervasive theme that is not always as apparent initially.  Sometimes, the father's impact shows up more so during puberty or young adulthood.  This may show up in the way a son may start to emulate his perception of the father as the way to grow into manhood or second guess what "not to do."  A daughter may seek out a man that compensates for what she felt she missed or is in the image of her father.

I have a neighbor who is pregnant with her and her husband's first child.  He has been so excited and has been very attentive throughout the pregnancy.  When he found out that the baby was a girl, he became ecstatic and picked out her name within that week.  He would always greet the baby as well as my neighbor together when he got home and would frequently speak to his unborn daughter.  Through this process, my neighbor shared that she felt the baby could sense when her husband was arriving home.  She claimed that just before he arrived home, the baby would start moving around within her and she would feel a shift as though the baby was trying to move towards where her husband was!  She also shared that the baby only responds this way when her husband is arriving or near her.  
 
Have you ever shared father stories with your friends and noticed the connections between the stories and each other?  Visit www.MutsMer.com for more information.
Posted by MutsMer.com at 12/18/2009 3:28 PM
Categories: Pregnancy, Papa, Father's, Healthy Legacy
Tags: adulthood Pregnancy daughter physically Father's puberty neighbour manhood anger mother abandonment parenthood Healthy Legacy confidence self Papa plan
 

What did you think of this article?




Trackbacks
Trackback specific URL for this post
  • No trackbacks exist for this post.
Comments
  • No comments exist for this post.
Leave a comment

Submitted comments are subject to moderation before being displayed.

 Name

 Email (will not be published)

 Website

Your comment is 0 characters limited to 3000 characters.