“There are a few moments in life that can make a man cry,” comedian Michael Jr. admits, and he knows what he’s talking about. After unearthing footage of his first daughter’s birth, Michael watched the video and discovered one of those very moments. For the first time, Michael noticed a profound detail in the video that he hadn’t noticed at the time.
It all had to do with his voice.
The special bond between a mother and baby is well-known and documented, so it’s easy to forget that dads and their kids can have an equally amazing connection. Fathers-to-be often bond with their unborn babies by speaking softly to their partner’s round bellies and acclimatizing their little ones to their own, unique voice. It can be soothing for the baby and allows the dad to feel connected to their growing child.
Enter Daddy. Michael, registering his daughter’s distress, begins to talk softly to her, and what happens next is nothing short of breathtaking. “I’m right here. It’s okay baby, it’s okay,” Michael says softly. The little girl immediately stops crying, turns her head toward the familiar sound, and seems comforted by the presence of her dad, whom she hasn’t even met yet; she is minutes old.
Later, a midwife begins to clean the baby, and the baby starts to cry once again, no doubt overwhelmed by the flurry of activity surrounding her. And once again, Michael intuitively stands close by and speaks to his tiny daughter. His dulcet tones manage to calm her down, but then something even more amazing happens. It knocked the new dad for six.
Michael, soothing his baby girl, tells her that he loves her, and a miraculous change comes over her: the infant, just minutes old, stops crying and opens her eyes to look straight at her father. “That’s just phenomenal,” Michael exclaims. His baby girl knew, instinctively, that the presence of her dad would keep her safe. She knew his voice, and his voice provided her all the comfort she needed in those first few moments of finding her way in a brand-new world.
After watching the video, Michael was moved. His baby girl’s response to his voice provides a model for all of us in our own lives; we can comfort one another, and it can be as simple as saying “I love you.”
Michael’s video has been watched over 4 million times. “Here’s the thing,” he shared. “We'll always have times when we’re not as comfortable, probably to the point of tears, where life is just heavy. The key thing to do in those moments,” the deeply moved dad explained, “is to be still and listen for the father’s voice.” Michael adores comedy; he makes this resoundingly clear. “But one of the things I love way more than that,” he affirms with a smile, “is being a dad.”
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