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Promoted to dad?


Marriage is like a job. I am not belittling it. Love is the foundation, but lets face it, you can’t sleep on the foundation for long. You need to work hard to make the building of marriage, so it’s like a job. You need to understand, respect and take care of your partner. Your partner is your partner in this job.

With marriage I knew to quite an extent what the job description is. I had analyzed married people. I came to know of this job opening on a website. (We met on a social network) The interview process lasted for a year; there was an internship and finally the job. My first job.

However the job description of ‘Dad’ is not very well defined. It sounds like some additional responsibility, and I’ve always believed that’s great. I had been asked if I thought I would make a good dad. Why not? I can make funny sounds, funny faces. I can do funny dances. I can bounce. I know all the songs from the 80’s. I can balance three beers while I finish them one by one. What’s not to love about me? I thought I earn enough, so finances shouldn’t be tough either.

Then, one day I was told I’m getting a promotion. I had obviously exceeded expectations. I am now responsible for another human being. Anything that happens to her, anything she learns, any time she fails or succeeds, can be directly attributed to me. (and my partner).  She is beautiful. She is small for her age. She is a happy child. She throws tantrums. She’s a fast learner. She puts her fingers in her mouth.

The problem is I have no clue how I impact all of this. I know she looks up to me. I know she follows me around saying ‘papa’ and misses me when I’m not around. I know she’s picked up a few things from me, and knows when I’m joking. However, even at this age, she has a personality of her own. She has her own genetic makeup.

I also have no Idea, what the success metrics are. Am I a good dad if she turns out to be: Intelligent? High EQ? Successful? Happy? Generous? All?

In life, as in a job, the complexity of the job increases with a promotion. It’s a moment to be proud of, but it's also a little scary.
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