Dads Tell All: The First Month of Fatherhood

As a new dad reorients himself toward his partner and gets to know his new baby, the friendships he has with other guys inevitably get restructured. Christopher Healy, a Brooklyn father and author of the book Pop Culture: The Sane Man's Guide to the Insane World of New Fatherhood, explains, "You can often tell from the first moment a friend meets your child whether or not things are going to go sour. If the guy seems awkward or clueless, it's entirely forgivable—hey, you're just as new to being around infants as he is at this point. But if he seems resentful (as in a sarcastic, 'So I guess we'll never go out for a beer again, huh?'), or if he gives off a 'babies-are-icky' vibe, who can blame you for thinking a bit less of him? One of my friends acted like my daughter had cooties the first time he met her, and I haven't seen him since."