Interview with Super Dad, Russel Miller!

In the spirit of Father’s Day, we’d like to start by saying thank you to all the incredible, loving fathers out there!

You really don’t get enough recognition for what you do. And it was this very thought that led us to having an honest and open conversation with Russel Miller, who is truly such a wonderful father to his beautiful little son. 

We’re here to share his story with you today, and it’s one that many of you will surely be able to relate with! Read on as Russ talks us through his joys, the reality of trying to navigate fatherhood and everything in between. 

How would you describe fatherhood? 

The word that comes to mind immediately is “blur”. If I think about it a bit more, other words form in my mind like “Poonami”, “Cute” and “Rewarding”. I might need to switch the order of those!

Do you think today’s fathers have it harder, easier or just different?

My particular experience was hard. There is no way around that. It was just hard from the very first moment trying to work out how to put baby Felix in the car seat to being utterly confused as to how to swaddle him and then work out how to deal with reflux issues, dietary requirements, Covid, introduction of solids and all the while working in my own business and trying to stay sane. I certainly didn’t do all of this alone. My wife is the Primary Carer. Even so, it was hard!

Like many people in Australia, we don’t have a lot of family support here as our families live overseas. We also received so much contradicting information in relation to medical treatments, sleep issues and diet that it was hard to know who or what to believe. You quickly learn not to instantly believe everything you are told.

What's your favourite thing about fatherhood?

My baby is my favourite thing for sure. He is so cute and when I look at him I see a mini version of myself. I can’t wait for him to learn some more words so that we can have a proper chat. 

Do you have any fears that arose since you became a dad? 

I haven’t really allowed myself to become too stressed or fearful. My wife is a very dedicated and determined mother and I have tried to inject as much fun as I can. 

What advice do you have for new dads?

This is a situation you cannot control! There is absolutely nothing wrong with putting the baby down for 5 minutes crying while you take a breather. I should have gotten involved earlier with the sleep training. It turns out that dads can be much better than mums at this. Baby doesn’t look at us and need to comfort feed. Also the controlled crying method was the only thing that worked, we should have got to this a lot earlier. Also, Day Care Centre’s are petri dishes of disease. If you can afford a nanny, get one!

Tell us your best dad joke!

What's the difference between a man's wallet before and after kids? 

There are pictures where the money used to be.

We hope you got what you needed from Russel’s wonderful words! 

If that includes the realisation that welcoming a nanny into your home will be a huge help, we’d love to have a chat. Simply click here to get in touch and let’s get you matched with the perfect nanny!