Being a dad for the first time in Bali
Being a dad is something most men think about early on in life. At 42 I had thought previously that I was passed being one at all, and some expats that I met last year joked with me that I should hurry up, or the well would dry up. Now that Jevon is here I must say its all good and I have moved into this new phase quite comfortably. This is mostly due to the fact that Ika and her relatives are all over Jevon, and living in Bali is conducive to raising kids. Last night I came home late from the internet cafe and after that I went to talk to one of the PR staff from Bahiana about a part time job sometime. Anyway returning home I jumped on the downstairs bed with Ika and Jevon. She was glad for me to play with him for a while and when she came back from taking a shower we were both taking a nap. Lately he has had a touch of constipation, but has the 'kentut' of a champion.
Today Jevon's guts are back to normal and he's a healthy boy. We're going to the kids doctor tonight for a check-up so I will take my Alpha Smart to make the waiting room less painful.
For would be dads I would say that having a kid is a string of transitions, each one bringing new challenges. Try to enjoy every one of them. At the moment Jevon cannot crawl or talk. The downside is that our relationship with him is one of feeding, cuddling and changing him. If you are not used to this you might resent this newcomer demanding all the attention. After a while things calm down, and the good points about this stage are that we can leave him in his bed and he can't escape or get into trouble. Down the road Jevon will develop his own personality which I look forward to, but that will be demanding too and another challenge. As I say its all good if you want it to be and before long he'll be going on his first date and taking his driving test.
By Nick | Permalink
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Comments
G’Day Nick,
Absolutely stunning and beautiful foto. That one you MUST get framed. It is the perfection of ‘Father & Son’.
Beautifully crafted post mate.
Sweet photo Nick. Ika take it? She’s got a good eye like you.
Stages and transitions is right on though. There will be times when you will be so frustrated you’re tearing your hair out wondering what you are doing wrong, and just before you consider slitting your wrists, it’s over with and resolved. You’ll think back a week later and wonder what all the fuss was about. And you’ll have new challenges ahead for the next stage / transition.
I sometimes wonder where all the patience comes from, as I am not a very patient guy, but when it comes to my daughters I somehow manage do dig into this deep reserve tank and get by.
It’s nice you have strong family support from Ika’s family. My parents and in laws are too old to handle the kids for more than 20 minutes at a time.
Cheers for the comments. As Jevon is getting older (already 5 weeks & 5 kgs, 59cms) I like him more. his eyes are opening more and he cries less.
As for patience, living in Asia will teach me that or I will go insane. Last night going to the doctors I was hit up twice by taxi drivers formore money than I should pay with the old ‘tidak ada uang kacil’ trick (don’t have small money). I left them off as we were in a hurry, but when we frist arrived at the hospital another taxi pulled up behind us a beeped, and suddenly the driver found small money, still managing to snag an extra 5,000rp without me noticing. It drives me crazy and is an excellent training for parenthood.
Nick
how do you rated the child healthcare in Bali are they any good? also are they any good International schools around the north island?
cheers!
Beth,
I think the child health care is decent as long as you go private. We went to a private hospital, Puri Bunda in Denpasar and have check ups.
Private clinics do exist but are expensive.
All of the good schools I know about are in South Bali, where the money is.
hi Nick
cheers for that. been to Bali a number of times. we’re thinking to re-allocate to Bali(from current big brother uk)to raise our child. hence doing our checklist.
very cute! taking forty winks together. top tip, water in his bottle between nursing does help constipation. hope that help.