How Fatherhood Changes Real Guys

Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images

According to the New York Daily News, DOBI (my new nickname for Dad of Blue Ivy, otherwise known as rapper Jay-Z) is not dropping the "b-word." Turns out it was all an Internet hoax. He told reporters, "That story and poem are fake." Personally, I think he should have just have rolled with it but…whatevs.

Celebs aside, fatherhood does change men, in ways that are both mundane (touching poop) and profound (realizing, as my friend Jeff did that, "I care if the world will survive.")

Mike Adamick who blogs about being a stay-at-home dad on Cry It Out!, tells Yahoo! Shine, "How does becoming a dad not change you? It's an incredible watershed moment for anyone." He notes that more and more fathers are taking on the role of being an active parent. "I used to be the only dad at playgroup or the park. Now I see a lot more dads out there. 'Fathers, we're not just for after work martinis anymore.'"

Shine's new Parenting Guru, blogger Ryan Soard, agrees. "Raising a child is such an awe-inspiring process. One of the things that has struck me is that I always want to be a part of what my son is doing-which I'm sure he tires of very quickly. Personally, I can't understand fathers who don't want to be a part of their children's lives."

This week, Shine spoke with a bunch of real guys about how becoming a dad has changed them. Here is what they had to say:

"There are so many examples of how my children have changed my life: from the first time I saw them with the placenta still attached to twenty-five years later when I came out of a month-long coma and realized they had been watching my back the whole time I was gone." -Jack, father of two

"Being a father made me realize I had to read fewer things, faster." -Eric, father of two

"Trying to cut out the sarcasm around the kids. They are way too young to know the difference. I fail a lot though." -Tom, father of three

"Fatherhood changed how I think about crying. I thought tears were a big event. Now I think they are a little more like smiles and burps." -Greg, father of two

"I never thought brushing hair after bath would turn me into mush, but it does every time (and by the way hair detangler is the best three dollars I have ever spent)." -Jeffrey, father of twins

"I've become a stronger and less fearful person. Life isn't about worrying about me, it's about taking care of them." -Sam, father of four

"Sleeping late means 8 AM." -John, father of two

"Becoming a father has changed me by giving me the chance to reverse the past, relive my childhood all over again, this time the way it should have been. It makes me want to be the best person I can possibly be." -Michael, father of three

How has becoming a parent changed you? Please let us know in the comments below.