What makes a father first realize that he is a dad?

The moment for me occurred when my daughter was about 2 weeks old and I had that first "oh shit" moment where I developed a terrifying pit in my stomach over my daughter that you think you've done something irreparably bad. 

I'd fallen asleep on the couch.  After waking in my sleep-deprived state, I didn't remember for a moment that I had a daughter.  All of a sudden, I remembered why I was so tired and then I couldn't remember where I put my daughter before I had passed out.  I developed a terrible pang of guilt for forgetting that I had a daughter and a growing sense of panic because I'd lost my daughter.  And then I found her (in the bassinet sleeping 2 feet away) and I felt irrationally wonderful, not silly in the least.  I made sure she okay, waking her up in the process and loving the sound of her cries. I looked at the clock and I'd been asleep for less than 5 minutes from the last time I'd looked at the clock.

Read other answers by

Jay Wacker on Quora:

• What are the top ten things every new dad should know before his first child is born?
• What is the logic in making a child look up a word in the dictionary when they ask what it means, rather than just telling them the meaning?

• My child is not smart. What do I do?

Read more answers on Quora.

from Quora http://ift.tt/28TJLS9