All parents bond with their babies in a unique way. For some, the bond begins during pregnancy. For others, that first cuddle is the catalyst for a rush of love. Then for some, it can take a little bit longer to fall head over heels.
Some dads in particular can find that it takes them a little longer to bond. They don’t feel all of the nudges and kicks during pregnancy and therefore don’t have that nine month bonding opportunity. It can take a while for a new father to find his way towards being and feeling bonded.
Parenting confidence is something that takes a while to build. You need to know you’re doing a good job before you can relax and enjoy the experience. The tricky part is that newborns aren’t always great at giving positive feedback.
In fact, sometimes it can feel as if the feedback from them is that not much is going well. They’re often quick to let you know when something is wrong, but leave you hanging when it’s time for a pat on the back. It helps to know that this isn’t about you, but more about their needs and them exploring, learning and discovering how to meet them.
This tear-jerking advert from mobile phone operator dtac, captures the beautiful moment a new father builds a lifelong bond with his newborn daughter. The advert starts as the baby begins to cry in her cot, the father jumps up panicked and immediately rings his wife for advice. As the baby cries, the dad realises her can’t feed her because of the whole having-no-boobs thing. He tries showing her a cartoon, and even puts her mother on video chat in the hope of appeasing his gorgeous newborn. Nothing seems to be working.
As the dad stares at his newborn daughter, we see him slowly reach out to lift her. He seems nervous, unsure of whether it will work. As soon as he lifts her out of the cot, the baby stops crying. She stares deeply and contentedly at her dad, who looks proud and amazed to have finally stopped the crying.
His phone is lying in the cot, and his partner has just seen the whole thing unfold. She wipes away tears in the supermarket, obviously touched by the scene she has just witnessed. You’ll need a hankie to hand for this one, it’s raw and emotional, and captures the fear and love of new parents perfectly.
As the advert reminds us, technology will never replace love. A newborn baby will also prefer the touch of a parent than the lure of a television screen. The advert reminds us just how powerful human interaction can be, especially when you are brand new.
