Confessions of a Mad Black Dad Pt 1

When Leah was pregnant, I read all types of articles and books on what I should do to get closer to my newborn. Leah already had a 9-month head start on me. It wasn't a competition, but I had to bond with my son. A bunch of articles talked about skin-to-skin time and kangaroo care for dads to bond with their newborn. Who thinks of this shit? Science is interesting. I guess I’ll try it. So when they finally gave me a chance to try skin-to-skin, it was on and poppin’. It was one of the best feelings ever, Dom was 8lbs but it felt like I was carrying the world in my arms. I never felt stronger or more gentle.

Naturally, we would do skin-to-skin frequently to continue the bonding process, can’t ever have too much bonding right? Well, Dom will be 4 in June and we still do skin-to-skin… I mean, I strong-arm him into doing it lol. He’s an active boy that loves time spent with PJ Masks playing in the background, toys, jumping/pseudo flipping, and he plays with numbers like a mad man, adding, subtracting, multiplying. None of these things necessarily include me, every now & then he looks to me for some ancillary assistance. Sometimes after bath time, I steal away a few minutes and get him to do some skin to skin with me. Does it improve our bonding? Who knows, but I enjoy it & I’d like to believe he does too when he’s not tussling with me to go watch another episode of his soaps about toddlers in superhero pajama suits.

It probably doesn’t regulate heartbeat and temperature, support the immune system, or stimulates digestion like it does for newborn babies, but it is a space where I can share a bearhug with my son, and that is good enough for me. My name is Dion, and I still do skin-to-skin with my 3-year-old. What random things do you do with your kid(s)?