Do babies come with instructions?

I’m typically seen as a calm, level-headed, and sometimes insensitive type of person. I got easily get excited and I don’t often lose my composure. What happens inside is a different thing, however. So when people ask me if I’m ready for my first baby which is due in a few weeks time, I respond with a stupid Yeah-sure-How-hard-can-it-really-be answer.

That was until a few days ago when the realisation that I don’t just get a baby in a couple of months, but that a baby gets me as a father too. I panicked. I started reading all these books people have sent me over the last few months, sitting on my nightstand, collecting dust. Some were funny, some were more pragmatic meticulously describing the birth process and the different phases the infant goes through. After reading all these books, I was left with one thought. I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing.

You’d think that my 37 years of experience in life would equip me with the skills required and prepare me for how to be a good father. Instead, I resonated with what I know how to do best. Let me save you some time. It’s sarcasm.

I wanted to capture what I go through these days, taking things for granted and relying on my life skills until now. So I grabbed my cameras and decided to make a short film about it. I won’t reveal too much, I’ll let you watch it first, and I would then love to hear your thoughts on the film itself and, for the dads out there, whether you’ve experienced something similar your selves.

As the partner, you don’t get to experience the pregnancy the same way the mother does. Not much is happening for the partners outside a new duty of making sure cravings are met even during late-night hours. Nothing material has changed in my life. So when it hit me, I started reading numerous blogs, articles and books. I found the different suggestions and ideas fascinating, so I grabbed my cameras and hit record in an effort to depict what I had in my head.

The whole project took me about a couple of days to complete. I filmed for an entire day, as I had to move my lighting and camera setups a few times around and across rooms, and I took another day to edit and color grade the film. I’m generally happy with the result, mainly because it’s a very realistic representation of everything that goes through my head at the moment.

We’re fast approaching the due date, and I’m as close to knowing how to care for a little one as I was 7 months ago. Needless to say, I have some catching up to do, but I couldn’t be more excited about baby Drakatos coming to the world!

Till next time…