How to be a better dad?

I argue and troll on the Internet but I do it on anonymous imageboards where there is no reputation system to draw you in and keep you hooked. Your identity disappears when the thread is over. The largest of these forums have MUCH larger readerships than your usual social media feeds, comment sections, and so forth, and they aren't sorted by upvotes or some algorithm calculated to judge your value as a poster. People see what you have to say in the order it was posted and judge your post by its content alone.

As for the drugs, it is VERY important you never have any in your home. If someone ever calls CPS on you, they can take your child away even if you just have a small amount stashed well out of reach. This is especially a concern if you post inflammatory political content, because people will try and dox you for that.

The best thing to do is keep a journal using an encrypted app, so that you are 100% honest with yourself and know always that each careless action must face the later judgment of your soberest self. This is a good tool for keeping yourself in check, and it can also help you to clear your head at the end of the day for better sleep.

Congratulations on your new baby. Remember always that you are presiding over someone's childhood and that while kids will forgive you for screwing up, what they will look back on is if they felt loved and safe or lonely and unsure of the future.

Just grow up stop being an idiot and be a good dad it's not that hard bud but I get why your stressing.

just be there for him and be a supportive dad. don't bully or make fun of possible interests or hobbies he might be into, don't pressure him too much either, just be understanding and be someone who your son thinks is safe to go to if he has a problem or wants to talk about something. don't try to force him to be someone or something he doesn't want to be.

Recognising that you have to grow up, man up and change is a good first step. Far too many parents never make that leap, and so we have loads of kids being raised by parents who are emotionally still kids themselves, with the crap impulse-control and the self-centred approach to life of a child.

You don't state your age, but neuroscientists now believe that the human brain doesn't finish developing until the mid-twenties at the earliest. You shouldn't take it as an excuse to behave like an asshat, but be aware that the prefrontal cortex is still maturing in young adults, and that's the part of the brain that regulates impulse control and deals with things like peer-pressure. That means you may find it hard to behave like a real grownup with very real responsibilities all the time, but hold on to the idea that you can change and behave more maturely if you decide you want to and actually think about the choices you make from moment to moment.

Any caring, rational, intelligent person finds becoming a parent daunting, not least because it's something you'll be forever. No matter what happens or how you behave, you will always be your son's father. Kids will forgive their parents for a lot (at least until they hit their teens, when they'll cut them no slack at all), so focus on the thought that there's nothing better than knowing that a small person loves you and is proud that you're their Dad.

As for what you can do in concrete terms apart from what you mention in your OP, research has found that making it a hard and fast rule that parents read to their child every night for ten or fifteen minutes before bed has a huge impact on the child's social and academic development.

It's normal to want to be a good parent. You need to swear off drugs for the sake of your infant child! Also spend quality holding, and cuddling to baby while listening to Mozart! Does you wife breastfeed the baby? Breastfeeding is really good for babies!

Put your child first