#1 Soon-To-Be First Time Dad Here. I Finished The Baby Room This Week, And I'm Really Proud Of It
#2 Daughter Wrote A Note For Me To Deliver To My Boss
New job starts next week and this post-it is now one of my most prized possessions.
Dads can be pretty amazing, can’t they? Whether they’re rescuing us from a spider in the bathroom or spending an entire Saturday teaching us how to ride a bike, they often end up doing things nobody else wants to do.
As it turns out, their involvement can make quite a difference. According to a review of 24 studies, children with actively engaged fathers generally had better outcomes in areas such as behavior and emotional well-being.
But here’s something you might not know about being a dad. Becoming a father can actually change the structure of a man’s brain.
In a study published in Cerebral Cortex, researchers scanned first-time fathers before and after their babies were born and found differences in parts of the brain involved in processing visual information and paying attention.
Scientists believe this could be related to how men adapt to their new responsibilities, although they’re still figuring out exactly what it all means.
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And the changes don’t stop there. In 2011, researchers followed 624 men in the Philippines and discovered something rather unexpected about their hormones. Men who became fathers experienced a median drop of 26% in morning testosterone levels, with an even bigger drop in the evening.
The researchers suggested that these changes may help men adjust to caring for their children. Interestingly, fathers who spent at least three hours a day looking after their kids also tended to have lower testosterone levels than those who weren’t involved in childcare.
#11 After Months Of Work, I Finally Finished This Calvin And Hobbes Mural For My Daughter's Room
Speaking of caring for babies, did you know that parents have a pretty impressive superpower? They can actually recognize their own baby’s cry among those of other children.
In a 2013 study published in Nature Communications, researchers tested this by playing recordings of different babies to mothers and fathers. Both moms and dads were able to identify their own child with around 90% accuracy. The biggest factor was how much time they spent with their child.
#14 Does Anyone Else’s Kids Play Like This? She's Setting Up A Birthday Party For Her Purple Unicorn
Of course, despite all this, plenty of dads still worry about whether they’re doing everything right. There’s a lot of pressure to be the perfect father and make sure their children have everything they need.
But being a good dad doesn’t have to be so complicated. Sometimes, it’s the little things you do together that count. For example, all those playful wrestling matches and pretend fights with the kids can actually be pretty beneficial.
A 2020 review of 78 papers found that physical play with fathers may contribute to children’s emotional development and ability to manage their behavior. So, all that roughhousing on the living room floor is actually very important!
Even something as ordinary as having lunch together can be a nice opportunity to connect. In a 2025 study, researchers recorded 25 fathers eating with their children and paid attention to what they talked about.
They found that these everyday conversations gave dads opportunities to teach their kids new things and build closer relationships with them. Who knew so much could happen over a simple sandwich?
