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Nothing changes a man's life like becoming a father. Being entrusted with the responsibility and care of another person is a huge task.

You need to help your child's development, which includes playing, being a good role model, and being warm, loving, and engaged.

But all of this effort is insanely rewarding. Not only do you see your kid grow into an adult but you also get an automatic pass to make all the dad jokes you want.

But don't just take my word for it. There's an online project called The Dad and it's dedicated to illuminating this joyful journey. One of the ways it does that is by tweeting and retweeting spot-on takes on family life and parenting.

More info: thedad.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

We managed to get in touch with Joel Willis, the founder and executive editor for The Dad, and he was kind enough to have a little chat with us about his own parenting journey.

"As a parent, the only thing you can be certain of is that you will be constantly surprised by what happens. What To Expect When Expecting should just say 'Who knows? But you'll figure it out, probably,'" Willis told Bored Panda.

Every kid, family, and the experiences they share are so different, and Willis thinks it's precisely the reason why raising a child is the best challenge you can have. "Every day is a clean slate full of endless possibilities for tragedy and triumph."

"Parents should keep that in mind, and not be too rigid about what they expect to happen or how they think their kid must behave," he said. "Go with the flow and embrace the craziness. If everything went as planned, wouldn't that be boring? I'm seriously asking, wouldn't it? Please let me know. I have no idea because nothing in my life has gone as planned since my first kid was born 12 years ago."

"While every journey is different, all parents are on the same unpredictable rollercoaster. That's why The Dad content resonates with so many, because we get to laugh at the shared absurdity of it all," the man added.

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KJ
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So true, out after breakfast, home for lunch, out again, back for dinner then gone until bedtime.

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WilvanderHeijden
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Only rule we had, you'll be home when the streetlights turn on.

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Going through these tweets, the idea that a man can possess parenting instincts and is not just suited to be a provider or a hapless sidekick looks natural, but it is actually relatively new. Just a few generations ago, it was highly controversial. In the '70s, for example, the expectation that men should do more was picking up steam, but they were still considered a poor substitute for moms.

"[The mid-'70s] was the heyday of attachment theory, which, as it was incarnated then, was very much focused on the critical importance of the attachment between an infant and its mother in the first years of life," Michael Lamb, who became a forerunner of fatherhood research at the time and continues to study it at the University of Cambridge in the UK, told Today's Parent. "That went along with the assumption that it was the only [primary] relationship kids could form."

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Wintermute
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He writes about them in his book, Greenlights. It's a true story.

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Heather W
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to yell "Ta da!" when my daughter fell. 90% o the time she was fine and if I panicked she would cry. I could apologize the other 10%. btw, she's 17 now and still yells Ta da when she trips or something.

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But at the turn of this century, researchers discovered an incredible detail about men: our bodies transform when we become fathers. Turns out, our hormonal systems alter dramatically when we become parents. And it doesn't matter if we're talking biological dads or adoptive ones, heterosexual or queer, the same applies for everyone.

This amazing revelation basically implies that despite the narrow role fathers have put themselves into for so long, our internal chemistry may have always been nudging us toward more involvement.

We know that oxytocin (the love hormone) plays a role in a mother's initial bonding with her child after birth but researchers have observed that the same spike in oxytocin occurs when fathers hold and play with their newborns too.

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Nannis Goatis
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was about 5 - so, 1960 - when I asked my mom what it was like to ride in a covered wagon.

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13
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bahahahha! Tony Hawk, the kind of fame us introverts strive for 😂😂

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When that love drug floods a new father, his testosterone level typically drops, making him less likely to take risks and more able to nurture his newborn. Furthermore, he registers an increase in prolactin, which is a hormone best known for helping women produce breastmilk.

University of Notre Dame anthropologist Lee Gettler explained that the presence of prolactin goes back hundreds of millions of years to our animal ancestors, even before mammals (and breastfeeding) existed. Over the past decade, Gettler has determined the connection between the hormone and modern-day dads. "Fathers with higher prolactin play with their babies in ways that are beneficial for their babies' learning and exploration, and the fathers also seem to be more responsive and sensitive to infant cries," he said. This ancient hormone increases a dad's desire to be close to their little one!

That should come as a relief to those men who are worried about becoming a father. If you put in the time and effort, you're going to be fine. You're a natural!

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Julia Atkinson
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The householder described the decision to disconnect his electricity on aesthetic grounds as "blatantly unconstitutional"

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"Don't try to be perfect," Joel Willis of The Dad said. "There's no such thing as a perfect parent. We all make mistakes. Our kids will grow into adults, and even if they're happy and successful and independent, they'll certainly resent us for something. I tell my kids this sometimes and you know what? The thing they'll resent me for is probably telling them they're going to resent me for something someday."

Willis divides parenting mistakes into big and small. According to him, if you try to avoid the big ones as best you can and don't worry about the small ones, you should be fine. "They build character," he said.

For more similar content, follow The Dad using the links in the introduction. "I just want to mention that while I am the founder and editor-in-chief, The Dad is made up of a team of talented, creative, hilarious folks who create the best parenting content on the web, day after day," Willis added. "They are the best."

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Julia Atkinson
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Set him straight or he'll never have a profitable career in insurance fraud

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I I
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Roo's are fckn cray cray , they will actually fist fight the fck out of you using their tails to balance on as they kick you in the nuts double footed

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Madre_Dr4gnZFly
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And if there's a world record for fastest time to fully unclothe yourself, a toddler that can barely crawl will shatter it.

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YoyoSthlm
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And tell him he shouldn't bother call the police, they have enough to do

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les
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

so from this we can deduce that santa has a crappy manager or sub contracts to usps

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I I
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

it was the best of times , it was the worse of times . but in all in was complete anarchy , there where no rules , first come first served

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Rijkærd
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Would like to slam one down after a call and feel relieved once again...

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karla Meixnerová
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My husband on 1st January: Hey, we have to go for a run, because the previous run we did was last year...(yesterday)

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Buren
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You know, there is those little things that look like balloons...

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Nadine Debard
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Honestly I quite often feel like a last-century kind of dinosaur, and I'm not even 40

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Madre_Dr4gnZFly
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And this is why some people think f***y packs are cool...never mind how old the picture is.

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WilvanderHeijden
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Increasing the costs of our weekly grocery shopping with at least €100 is why I got to stay at home.

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Nikki Sevven
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a device was in use, not even the mouse. The phones were all hung up with chargers galore, while a 3d printed wreath was displayed on the door.

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Nannis Goatis
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My FIL used to snap his fingers before sneezing because he sneezed to loud. I jumped so high the first time I heard him sneeze because they forgot to warm me.

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Mohsie Supposie
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

.... and then wake up early for work for another 50 years... and then when you are retired and don't need to wake up early any more, you can't sleep any more and still wake up early!

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Zuila
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same with laundry. If regular clothes can't handle the dryer, it doesn't deserve to be in my household

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