by Caleb Wyeth

Created on: September 27, 2009   Last Updated: September 29, 2009

I grew up in a household with four sisters and a brother who were largely raised by their father throughout their teenage years, our mother taken away much too early by cancer. Our father became famous for what my siblings and I liked to call "30-second lectures." Keenly aware of the odds he faced, I'm sure my father could not have helped himself. One of his most frequently repeated lectures went something like this: "Son, there are two things that will change your life forever: marriage and babies. Not necessarily for the better, and not necessarily for the worse, but they will definitely change your life forever." He would invariably place a strong emphasis on the word "forever."

In retrospect, the lecture was probably developed more out of the intense fears and pressure he surely felt raising my teen-aged sisters on his own. And at the time, there was no way I could fully comprehend it, but he was right. Marriage and babies had eventually changed my life drastically, and so far, there's no reason not believe it won't be forever. Indeed, since my first child was born, life has never been the same. Having a child changes a man in so many and such profound ways that a short article can hardly do the subject justice.

Still, there does seem to be a couple common themes among men who have joined the prestigious ranks of fatherhood. And despite it being one of the traditionally less researched topics in family health issues, recent research has begun to scientifically support a number of mainly positive changes that seem to come about in a man as a result of fatherhood, primarily with regard to physical and psychological health.

The Physical Changes

There seems to be a direct correlation between fatherhood and a man's physical health. In large part, this can be attributed to the man finding new structure in his life as a result of fatherhood, which leads him to make better lifestyle choices. What better reason to give up smoking, excessive drinking, and a number of other vices to which men are susceptible? It is not uncommon to change dietary and exercise habits as one naturally strives to become a better role model for his child.

Further, there is typically a significant increase in a man's activity level upon becoming a father. In the early years, all the changing and carrying the baby, hauling car seats and carriers, and helping out in any number of ways forces a guy to get up off his rear a little more often. As your children grow older, you exercise a whole

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