‘I Sobbed Uncontrollably’: The Moment Dads Truly Bonded With Their Kids

“The bond was not instant with me. I didn’t see my son and fall head over heels at first sight. It built over time. I’ve always loved him, of course, but that sense of a true bond, I’d say, was the first time we went out just by ourselves. He was a few months old, crawling. Everything up to that point had been really just making sure he was fed, bathed, and changed – it felt like all the functional stuff was the priority. But the first time we went to a park, just the two of us, and we forgot everything else about the world and had a grand old play – was joyous.