For Father’s Day, these dads share the most valuable advice they’ve received about parenting

FATHER’S DAY – Becoming a parent means learning to care for another human being, but also learning to ignore the many unsolicited advice that comes with parenthood. Fortunately, the experiences of others are not always useless: when they have been tested and approved, they can even be of great help.

And since good advice is rare, seven of them shared with HuffPost the most precious ones given to them. Educational principle or practical tip, for teenagers or for babies, here is what these fathers took away from the advice on parenting.

Do not imagine that others always do better

“I’m not sure who gave me this advice, but it was: ‘Don’t think that other parents are better than you. We all do shit, but we show it as little as possible so others also have the impression that we are better than them.” »

Titouan, 30 years old, father of a four and a half year old daughter and a two year old son.

Give the bottle at room temperature

“The best advice was: ‘Don’t heat the water in baby bottles, and give it at room temperature.’ It’s a lot less hassle, everything is easier and faster, the baby is happy. What fun! This advice was given to me on the ParentingFR subreddit (Reddit, is a conversation site on current topics, editor’s note). It’s a gold mine and a truly super caring space! Thanks Reddit! »

Sinan, 40 years old, father of a three and a half year old child.

Enjoy the passing of time

““The days are long, but the years pass quickly”: we must take advantage of the time spent together, and not dwell on everyday life. Our first child was a difficult baby, in the sense that he cried a lot, we both worked, we were tired, and everyone was eager to see him grow up (can’t wait for him to walk, can’t wait for him to talk) – to then ask when the second one would come. Even when those days were hard, we tried to remember that soon he would no longer be a little baby and that we had to enjoy it. Indeed, he will return to college soon and we are in for a treat! »

Benoît*, 40 years old, two children aged eleven and eight.

Take your share of the educational burden

“The best advice anyone gave me was to encourage me to read books on parenting. It helps enormously to share the mental load of raising children. »

Fabien, 35 years old, father of three children aged five, three and one.

Make the house a refuge

“When I became a father, my mother passed on this educational principle to me: “Home should be a safe space for your children, a place where they will always be welcomed and loved. But on the outside, they must behave as if their lives depended on it.” Basically, we do what we want at home but we must never forget that in society, we are not alone and we must be careful of others and what we impose on them. This is how I was educated, and I plan to use it again. »

Sylvain, 32 years old, father of a nine-month-old child.

Take pictures

“A friend who became a father a few years earlier gave me this advice when I had a child: “Take photos every day, to make one photo album per year”. I think it’s great. »

Nicolas*, 50 years old, father of two children aged seven and three.

Take time with family after a birth

“It’s quite simple, the best advice I was given came from my sister who recommended that I take some time together after the birth of her first child (this also applies to the others, although it’s probably a little different). We knew it but we applied it poorly: there was a lot of family pressure to see the baby, and we ended up taking him around all the time to go see people. We regretted it. »

Julien*, father of a one and a half year old child.

*First names have been changed at the request of interested parties.

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