What advice can you give to new dads?

My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. — Clarence B. Kelland

Not all husbands are blessed to become dads. Being a dad isn’t easy, it entails a lot of sacrifice on ones part but the joy it brings is more than one can imagine! As any parent would advice, quality time spent with your children and being the best example for them to emulate is be the best gift you can leave your children.

Read on as some dads share with us the best advice they can give to new dads!!

Mannix Ortega, ABC president; board member, La Union

That “quality time” and “quantity” time are not divergent ideas — on the contrary they must go hand-in-hand. The most dynamic activities are meaningless if they are only shared for a few brief moments, and spending hours with your kids is pointless if you do not attentively interact with them. From a father’s perspective quality time should be equivalent to quantity time and vice versa!

Andy Bengzon, businessman

I’d say that new dads ought to savor each second of their new life. Cliché maybe, but babies do blaze through time and grow so fast. Find a way to slow it all down, at least in your mind’s eye. While taking tons of photos and videos can help, I find that the best gratification stems from really committing every experience with your children to heart.

Jeroen Van Straten, businessman

When my kids were newborns I would go home for lunch as much as possible just to see, hold and smell them. Babies smell amazing! It is an experience I would recommend to all new dads.

Kim Atienza, TV host

My guiding principle: “A happy wife is a happy life.” Tell her you love her when you wake up, tell her you love her many times a day, tell her you love her before you go to bed.

Rep. Mark Enverga, 1st District, Quezon Province

Fatherhood is more than blood relation. It is more than the traits passed by you to your child or of being “kamukha ko” or “nagmana sa akin.” The essence of fatherhood is what you are doing for your child to become a better person. Not only outwardly, but most importantly their inner being, for at the end of the day we want to see our children succeed in all areas of life.  I guess I could say that time really flies so fast. I just realized I would have a high school kid soon. It would be of utmost importance that we give our quality time to them so that we won’t have any regrets about their upbringing. What matters most in life is not what we’ve bought for our children but what we built i.e. character; not what we’ve got but what we’ve shared i.e. good traits; not what we taught them but what they learned from us.  Fatherhood involves commitment, self sacrifice, integrity and unconditional love.

Tony Cancio, businessman

Enjoy your children, we are not here to tell them what we want them to be but to help them become what they want to be.

Senator Juan “Migs” Zubiri

Spend as much time with your kids while they are still young because later on, you will realize that those were probably the best times of your life. I read a saying in a book that goes, “The days are long, but the years are short.” Before you realize it, your kids will be all grown up and out of your arms. You might regret not spending more time with them.

DJ Sta. Ana, head of news operations, News 5

Don’t expect to be the perfect father, but always give your best and relish every moment because some of these happen only once.

Rep. Robbie V. Puno, 1st District, Antipolo City

Dads of today need to break through the clutter of multiple sources of influence and information right at the fingertips of our children. My advice to new dads is, don’t be one of those dads who say, “I don’t spend much time with my kids but I spend quality time with them.” I have always believed that any time spent with my kids is quality time. So spend quantity time with your kids. Be their friend. Always be there. Watch movies together. Have dinner with them. Get to know their friends. When they call you on their cell phones, answer the call no matter what. Quality time is good, but quantity time is quality time in abundant quantity.