The Dad Vault

Being a family man comes with a lot of weight and responsibility. We publish articles that encourage you to keep going, inspire you to step up your game, and equip you with tips to unlock the best dad/husband/provider/in-law/chef/tooth fairy/taxi driver you can be.

7 Things I Wish I Knew 10 Years Ago About Parenting

Adam Hillis
The Dad Vault
Published in
2 min readFeb 2, 2023

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If I could go back in time, these are the 7 things I wish I knew about parenting.

(It would have saved me a lot of wasted time and effort.)

1. You can’t have nice things

I was given an old, beat up, solid oak table in college. My roommate and I refinished it and it was BEAUTIFUL. They don’t make them like that anymore.

It became our family table when we got married.

All 3 of our kids have done serious damage to it…

2. One of your kids will probably be like you

If you have more than one child, most likely one of them will have a very similar personality to you.

You’ll notice the things you don’t like about yourself in them, and it will drive you crazy.

3. One of your kids will probably be like your spouse

If you have more than one child, most likely one of them will have a very similar personality to your spouse.

You’ll notice the things that bother you about your spouse in them, and it will drive you crazy.

4. You will be constantly repeating yourself

Whether it’s instructions, rules, wise counsel, or a math problem, your kids will never get it the first time.

Or the second, or third, or tenth, or hundredth.

Eventually they will get it. But it takes a lot…

5. Kids all develop differently

Our oldest was potty trained at 2 and a half. He could read Dr. Seuss books by himself at 3 and a half.

Child #2 and #3 weren’t even close to that.

Conversely, our 8yo can school our 10yo in just about any sport or game. He seems to have figured out moving his body a lot faster than his big bro.

This is all totally normal.

6. You have to try a lot harder to be married

Date nights aren’t as frequent, any conversation had during the day gets interrupted, and sex is…

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The Dad Vault
The Dad Vault

Published in The Dad Vault

Being a family man comes with a lot of weight and responsibility. We publish articles that encourage you to keep going, inspire you to step up your game, and equip you with tips to unlock the best dad/husband/provider/in-law/chef/tooth fairy/taxi driver you can be.

Adam Hillis
Adam Hillis

Written by Adam Hillis

Crafting educational email courses for coach/creators || Coaching men to connect w/ their wife & kids, and themselves || I juggle marriage, kids, and words

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