Today we feature another great dad, and this time we interviewed Darren Mattock!
Darren is an Australian-based facilitator, educator, mentor, writer and change agent that specializes in working with expectant and new dads as they prepare for birth and the role of fatherhood. He launched Becoming Dad in 2013 to create an online space uniquely focused on expectant and new dads. Darren also presents at conferences for birth professionals on how to work with expectant and new dads. Being dad to his son Charlie is his greatest source of inspiration
My first memory as a father is…
When we found out that we were going to have a baby together. We were standing on our verandah under a tin roof as it rained. As soon as my partner shared the news, it began to hail. The sound of the ice beating down on the roof made it impossible for us to hear one another. It was an awesome-crazy-random-wild moment of life, love and nature that I’ll never forget.
The funniest thing my kids do is…
Mimic funny characters from TV shows and movies. Charlie will grab a carrot and do a very cool Bugs Bunny “What’s up, Doc?”. The other morning when we woke up together, he said “I’m going to miss those fudge balls”. That was a line from a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle episode. He cracks me up all the time. Cha just gets humor. It’s so cool.
Charlie’s mum is my hero because…
She chose (with me fully onboard!) to have a midwife-supported homebirth and was totally heroic in birthing our son safely and gently on our loungeroom floor by the light of a pot belly fire. It was an epic becoming dad experience!
How many hours of sleep do you get each night?
Charlie still co-sleeps. Regardless of what time he goes to bed, he still wakes up at 5:30am. So it depends on how late I stay up. I usually get 6 hours sleep a night. I’ve been doing that since my 20’s, way before fatherhood, so didn’t have to make any big adjustment around sleep.
What did you get your baby’s Mama for Mother’s Day?
Mother’s Day came around during the pregnancy of Charlie and I bought his Mama a special nursing chair for her. It was a luxury purchase for us at the time. It took its place in our lounge room near the pot belly stove and became a special feature and place for all of us.
If you could go on any vacation with your kids, where would you go?
I want to take Charlie to Bali next. My vision is an adventure with sun, surf, sand and wildness. I’d love to take him for a motorbike ride through the hills and for him to see another culture and share that experience with him.
What’s your favorite meal to cook for your kids?
The ritual of making Charlie his favourite pizza is fun! I get huge ‘daddy the provider’ kicks when I see him demolish a whole one and listen to him make the ‘mmmm’ sounds and wiggle his head as he is getting his food kicks. I’ve made three pizzas for him in one day before! That was definitely for the love!
My most traumatic parenting experience was when…
When Charlie was just less than year old, I locked him in the car one day after we arrived in a little beachside village. The dad in me completely freaked out! I tried to get some help from passers by and no-one was up for helping. I began to really panic. Then I had this awesome moment of looking through the window glass at Cha and caught his eye. He smiled at me and was completely at ease. He had no idea what was going on. I told him through the glass that I needed to disappear for a moment but I would be straight back. I made my dash to the newsagent, grabbed some box strap and ran like a mad-man back – all in one breath. Then, with adrenalin surging, I slipped the tape in through the door and popped the lock within a minute. Charlie was chilled through the entire ordeal. What was at the time my most traumatic parenting experience became an epic lesson on the perception and reality of parenting ‘mistakes’. The trauma memory still freaks me out, though!
Describe your perfect Father’s Day.
One of our favourite places to hang out together is Byron Bay – an awesome seaside town near our place. There’s the beach, a playground with an amazing beach view (usually popular with dads!), ice cream, kickin’ food, buskers, wide footpaths, and loads for us to do in making a day of it. That’d be our place
If you like what you’ve heard about Darren, make sure you go and check out Becoming Dad, as well as following him on Facebook and Twitter!