Fatherly advice for a soon-to-be dad on Father's Day weekend

El Reverso, top left, Aaron Boose, bottom left. Piero Olachea, center, Devon Kendick, top right, Steve Brown, bottom right, at the LiUNA!625 Family Father’s Day Charity Extravaganza on June 15, 2024. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)

In two months, I will become a parent for the first time — so to prepare for this life-changing event, I’m gathering all the advice I can.

That’s why I visited the sixth annual LiUNA!625 Family Father’s Day Charity Extravaganza, hosted by Fantastic Fathers, at the St. Clair College Sportsplex on Saturday.

Father’s Day brings out the best advice, and this weekend, I’m gathering some firsthand by speaking with five men who have already embraced the title of "Dad."

STEVE BROWN (event organizer)

"First of all, congratulations. It's amazing. I waited until I was 38 to become a father. I wish I would have done it sooner. It's the best thing ever.

As for some advice, get lots of sleep. Starting now. You've got to bank your sleep. You will be woken up several times, obviously.

Also, it's lonely. What I mean by that is the baby is more important. Mom is next. Then, immediate family. Then, grandparents. And then, dad falls around the bottom. So you're going to get a little lonely. But understand, it's just temporary. Eventually, it comes full circle and it's going to be a beautiful experience."

EL REVERSO (professional wrestler)

"I've been a dad three times. I was a dad for the first time in 2008. Then, again in 2012. Then, very recently, I just became a father again in 2023. I have a little one-year-old boy right now.

My best advice to anyone who's just becoming a dad is right when they're about that one-year-old age and they're starting to walk and toddle around, take them to the mall and between 9 and 10 o'clock [in the morning] before the mall opens. That's when a lot of the older people walk through the mall to get their exercise. They love seeing the little kids.

So they're going to say positive things. They're going to love seeing them. They may even give them a cookie or a Timbit or something like that. It's just an overall positive experience. That's the best thing I could possibly say for a young dad just starting out."

AARON BOOSE

"It's got to be patience: taking deep breaths, counting to 10. Because they're just go, go, go. You can see everyone around here, just running around, full tilt. So like I said, take deep breaths. It's all about patience."

DEVON KENDRICK

"I think the best advice I could give you is just to be present. If you're there with them, be active with them, come down to their level and spend as much time as you can because that's most valuable thing. You can't get that back. The time goes super fast. You can't prepare for it. You can never prepare for how fast it's going to go by."

PIERO OLAECHEA

"Have fun in everything you do. Obviously, the babies are a handful. But with any chore you do at home, just enjoy it. Have fun with it. Don't think about it as a chore. Think about it as a live experience. Any moment counts."