No one tells you that when you become a dad, your life will be changed forever. but is that true? I am sure the new dads heard, “Say caw, caw (bye-bye) to your social life,” or the classic one “Make sure you enjoy your sleep, as you won’t be having that when your child arrived.” I guess we all heard that, haven’t we? But certain dads despite hearing all these comments, they still want to witness it themselves and be their own judge. Today we meet one of these dads, please readers, meet Roderick. To whom, doesn’t know Roderick, he is one of the guys who started one of the most followed pages “The People Of Malta,” he is also a teacher and a radio presenter. You might ask yourself, how the he$% does he manage? Well let’s find out and this time we will do him an interview instead of him š
The Maltese Daddy: Today Rod, its the opposite I am interviewing you instead of you interviewing me on The People Of Malta (check out the link) . New dad, how’s that been so far? Was it something you were expecting?
Roderick: Yes, true it has been nearly a year since I have been changing diapers and living the beautiful life of fatherhood. To answer your question, it’s difficult to expect something which you have no idea what you might be expecting, as I think first-time dads all have this fear. To be honest, I tried to imagine myself as a dad, but then I realized there is no job description on how to become a dad, it was all-natural to me when I held Alessio (My son) for the first time. My life changed, Alessio brought me joy in my life, its worth it, yes stressful, but amazing. One thing that changed me is that I became more selfless and started thinking more about the needs of my son & wife before mine.
The Maltese Daddy: Yes our life changes for sure, but I can say being a dad gives you a sense of purpose and that is to take care of your wife/partner and your children. We as dads have also a journey through pregnancy, how was it? Do you have a message to our readers?
Roderick: Firstly I felt happy and excited when my wife told me that we were pregnant and that I am going to be a dad. Some advice I would give to new dads is to support your wife/partner as its not an easy journey for her either and be there, take an interest by going to the doctor with her for checkups and any classes for parenthood. Going to these checkups, makes you witness first hand your child developing in your wife’s/partner’s womb via the ultrasound, so be there.
The Maltese Daddy: It seems, you were ready for fatherhood, what made you realize you became a father?
Roderick: I remember when I held Alessio for the first time, that is when I realized that I need to take care of my son no matter what. I thanked God that everything was good, although when he was born immediately after he had to be taken into Intensive care, over there my dad instinct triggered, to check up on him all the time as I wanted to make sure that everything was alright.
The Maltese Daddy: What are two guiding principles you follow every day as a father?
Roderick: SIMPLE, but effective: Support your wife and always do what’s best for your son.
The Maltese Daddy: You’re a busy man, juggling your full-time job, radio and blog, so how do you manage to be there for your son? Can you describe what you do?
Roderick: It’s not easy, but I make it happen. Every morning, I make sure to catch a glimpse of his smile before I go to work as its the highlight of my morning. After that, I need to go to work, but when I’m back I make sure to spend as much time as possible with him. Some things which make our bonding fun is his love of our remote control, as he loves switching on and off the TV and also pointing it to me, to show me what he’s doing. Also, a ritual which I like to keep is his bath times and tickles from his daddy.
The Maltese Daddy: Discipline or best friend?
Roderick: Best is having a mixture of both as I was raised with discipline by my father and always communicated with my mother, but all in all I had a great childhood and both my parents wanted the best for me, but f I had to choose it would be a bit of both.
The Maltese Daddy: “Becoming a dad means you have to be a role model for your son and be someone he can look up to.” Can you describe what you understand by this quote?
Roderick: I work as a teacher and now became a father, so its part of my job to act as a role model and part of my duty to show my son the right path for him to be better than me and loves his life.
The Maltese Daddy: A question I like asking people is do you want your son successful or in love with life?
Roderick: I would want him to be in love with life and also to believe n himself as you are more likely to reach your goals. The way forward, what I can do is to show him the options, but it’s his choice at the end of the day. I know he will make great choices š
The Maltese Daddy: To conclude today’s interview, I always close with what āwisdadmā (A combination of wisdom and dad) would you share with our readers?
Roderick: Very simple, but surely effective:
- Spend time with your child and family
- Be present throughout your child’s life, as they know you are š
- Love your wife/partner as you are your child’s role models and they will become a reflection of how you live your life
That’s it, readers, what I can say meeting Roderick makes me happy, you know why? As he wants to spread happiness and more than that he is always willing to help and make you smile. In my dictionary that shows what an exemplary person he is and no doubt, he will be one amazing father to his son Alessio. To conclude today’s interview I found an amazing quote that fits this interview, “Every father should remember, that one day his son will follow his example and not his advice.” Charles F Kettering
