Dad-To-Be Asks Parents on Twitter for Their Favorite Parts of Parenting & They Delivered

katie.fanaroff/Instagram

A man on Twitter who was expecting a new baby soon and excited to become a parent was tired of hearing the common cliches about parenting. He was repeatedly told “You’ll never sleep again," “Say goodbye to your weekends," and “Your travel life is over," according to Twitter. New parents are often inundated with unwelcome advice or "helpful" tips about what to expect that aren’t always that useful.

Harris Fanaroff, one dad-to-be, had enough of that and asked parents on Twitter to share their favorite parts about parenting — and the answers came flooding in. His original Tweet has been viewed more than 1 million times and resonated with Twitter users who have children and even some who are considering becoming parents.

His tweet shows new parents are excited and sick of ‘tired tropes’ from other parents about having a baby.

In his tweet on March 6, Fanaroff shared, “My first baby is joining us in the next 3 weeks and I’m excited nervous, anxious, and grateful. I’d love to your hear favorite parts of having a newborn/baby/kids,” but only after pointing out how tired he was of hearing the common "cliches" from other parents, such as how he’ll ‘never sleep again.’"

Though it may have been said with good intentions, those types of comments weren't helping.

“Everyone was like, ‘You’re never going to sleep again. Say goodbye to traveling, say goodbye to your weekends.' It was one negative remark after another. All the comments really started to get into my head. I was terrified,” Fanaroff said, according to Today.

Twitter users responded with support.

I’m tired of hearing the…

“You’ll never sleep again”
“Your travel life is over”
“Say goodbye to your weekends”

My first baby is joining us in the next 3 weeks and I’m excited, nervous, anxious, and grateful.

I’d love to hear your favorite parts of having a newborn/baby/kids

— Harris Fanaroff (@HarrisFanaroff) March 6, 2023

Parents on Twitter responded to Fanaroff’s tweet with so much support.

One parent commented, “Babies unlock a whole new and different part of life filled with those things, sure, but also of love, joy, happiness, meaning, and purpose. You get a brand new perspective on life, and your heart grows. It’s the best thing in the world.”

“Waking them up in the morning. Our 6 month old has the biggest smile every morning when we get her up, as if she’s genuinely astonished she gets another day," another parent wrote on Twitter. "Enjoy every time you get to do that!”

Fanaroff’s tweet is helping others.

When Fanaroff first tweeted, he shared that he was “excited, nervous, anxious, and grateful.” After receiving the responses, though, he’s only feeling one of those things. “I was excited and scared before — now I’m only excited," Fanaroff explained, per Today.

Besides easing Fanaroff’s own parenting concerns, his tweet also resonated with people considering having children. "I've had a couple of people say they were debating not having kids and they've changed their minds. I never thought my post would reach so many," he noted.

Fanaroff and his wife welcomed their baby boy and appear to love parenting.

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A post shared by Katie Fanaroff (@katie.fanaroff)

Fanaroff and his wife Katie welcomed their baby boy on March 22, sharing their news on Instagram.

The couple appear to love being parents. They shared several photos of their newborn with the caption, “Brooks Mason Fanaroff. Born 3/22/23 at 7 lb 1 oz. We are so lucky to be your parents and already love you so much! ”