My first time feeling like a father

My little man is now 8 weeks old, and this week I felt like a father for the very first time. Don’t get me wrong I’ve been a daddy since day one, but now I feel more like a father than ever before.
I’ll explain.
As I’ve said Ben is 8 weeks old, 8 weeks, it’s terrifying how quickly time is passing. I remember the last eight weeks of my partner’s pregnancy felt like forever. Time really does fly when having fun because despite the new worries and the separation issues I had when I returned to work, it really has been a lot of fun. But being 8 weeks old means Ben had his first set of immunizations this week to protect him from horrible sounding illnesses and consequently it has been a tough few days for him.
If your little one is about to have his first set of shots, this is what you might expect …
As usual, I was stuck at work so I wasn’t there, but my other half told me how difficult and upsetting it was. They went into the doctor’s room and with a needle (although I don’t know what kind because she couldn’t look) the doctor jabbed him in both legs simultaneously.
Then he screamed so painfully it made her cry.
Just thinking about it breaks my heart a little. My partner is tougher than me, and if she cried, I would have sobbed if I was there. She told me it took a long time to calm him down; after all, when we get a shot we know what’s coming. It must have been a horrible shock for him.
When I got home from work he wasn’t a happy little man. He was sore, both of his little legs were swollen (which at first panicked me), and he was probably still in shock. All afternoon and evening he needed one of us to hold him and whisper or sing to him to keep him calm. Only when he exhausted himself did he settle down to sleep. Albeit a restless one.
He felt groggy for a few days but is now feeling much more himself, which is a blessing because for a while I thought the injected viruses had made him ill.
Sometimes it does, so just keep an eye out.
I hated that he felt uncomfortable and restless, and it isn’t easy to see your baby so upset.
But here it is, this is how I truly realized I’m a father.
I felt needed by him, which really might be the first time in his life he’s actually needed me. Normally if he’s upset it’s because he has gas, which anyone could help with, or is hungry, which only my partner can help with as he is breastfed. This time it was different. He needed someone to make him feel safe after a distressing day. Knowing that my soft words and cuddles stopped his crying and helped him fall asleep makes me feel like a father who is supportive and protective rather then a daddy who is silly and fun. I am genuinially proud of myself for being able to do both. It’s silly because it came instinctively, but I have often worried if, during tough times, I could be that father who is old, wise and calming like my dad is.
Obviously I don’t want my son to ever feel pain, shock or hurt, but it’s going to happen—as it does for all of our little ones. But now I know I can protect him and be that comforting father when those days come.
This week, although tough, has been yet another example of how my little boy is teaching me more about me than I ever knew.