10 Signs You’re a Dad - MetroFamily Magazine
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10 Signs You’re a Dad

By Wymer Brownlee Wealth Strategies

by Aaron Waters

Reading Time: 2 minutes 

Aaron Waters, Wealth Advisor with Wymer Brownlee Wealth Strategies

The past seven months have been the longest and shortest of my life. How’s that possible? I don’t know. I’m a new dad, which means logic and all perception of time have gone out the window with beloved sleep. However, this first Father’s Day has me reflecting on everything that’s changed in my life since becoming a dad, and the sacrifices, worry and hilarity have been worth every minute.

You know you’re a dad when:

  1. Your closest friends are other new parents because they’re the only ones who appreciate your stories now.
  2. You find yourself rocking a pillow to sleep because you never knew this depth of exhaustion was possible.
  3. Dad jokes are funnier than ever.
  4. Your standards for cleanliness and fashion aren’t what they once were.
  5. You’ve reprioritized your budget to include diapers, daycare and saving for college.
  6. You started pricing saferooms and tornado shelters for the house.
  7. You’ve bumped up life insurance policies to make sure your family can maintain its quality of life if something happens to you.
  8. You appreciate your parents more than ever.
  9. You’re a big softy who tears up at Pampers commercials.
  10. You have clarity about what’s important in life and the values that unify your family.

Before becoming a dad, I never had to worry about caring for someone else. Now, the reality of my responsibility (and privilege) to care for my family is constantly on my mind. It’s made me more intentional, brought us closer together and expedited important planning for our future.

Time’s a funny thing when you’re a parent. There’s never enough of it, and it goes by too fast. Financial and estate planning might seem like tasks you can put off until life slows down a bit, but being a dad means doing what’s necessary to protect your family. This year, give yourself the Father’s Day gift of peace-of-mind by checking them off your to-do list.

Aaron Waters is a wealth advisor for Wymer Brownlee Wealth Strategies. He joined the company’s Enid office in 2010 and now operates from its location at Portland and Memorial in Oklahoma City. Aaron obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration in financial management from Abilene Christian University. He loves golf, fishing, music and travel – but nothing more than his wife, Natalie, and daughter, Ella Kate.

Aaron Waters, Registered Representative. Securities offered through HD Vest Investment Services®, Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through HD Vest Advisory Services® Insurance services offered through HD Vest Insurance Agency, LLC. 6333 N. State Highway 161, Fourth Floor, Irving, TX 75038, 972-870-6000. Wymer Brownlee Wealth Strategies is not a registered broker/dealer or registered investment advisory firm.

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