New dads celebrate first Father's Day this weekend

Every year millions of families celebrate Father's Day, but this year's holiday has a different meaning for two men in the Tri-State.
Though their journeys echo familiar tales of most first-time parents, new dads Dustin Miller of North Avondale and Norwood resident Matt Castleman shared what their new roles as fathers means to them as they celebrate their first Father's Day this weekend.

Even though North Avondale resident Dustin Miller had been married to his high school sweetheart for eight years, he wasn't prepared to hear the words "I'm pregnant" so soon.
The news came soon after Miller quit his job at Whole Foods Market in Rookwood to start his own business, a dream he had since high school.
"It wasn't that we didn't want to have children, there was just never a great time to have children. We wanted to own businesses and go back to school, fix up houses and all that stuff doesn't translate well to having a little one around," said the 30-year-old coffee shop owner.
Miller and his wife, Tiffany, 32, had their first date in 1998 at a high school homecoming dance in Sugarcreek Village, Ohio --- a town in Amish country in the eastern part of the Buckeye State.
The story of how the pair met is fairytale in nature: They fell in love in high school, disconnected for a stint and years later were engaged in a foreign country.

 

Miller and his son Solomon

 We had eight years of marriage before we had Solomon (their son) so we did OK. It wasn't a scary thing, it was like, 'Oh awesome, this is happening now.'" Miller first heard of his wife's pregnancy when he went went home to change his shoes before going out with friends one night.
"I found out about Solomon the day after I quit my job... I was going out and came home to change my shoes. I thinking 'I hope this works,' because Collective Espresso had been a long-time dream, but then everything lined up."
Their first child, Solomon Cooper Miller, was born a healthy baby boy on April 5 of this year. For Miller and his wife, their unplanned newborn has integrated into their lives with surprising ease.
"There was no real anxiety over it besides the, 'Oh, how do I not mess up this kid?' The general parent anxiety," he said. "I don't feel stressed around him."
Miller said he never witnessed the "ins and outs" of parenthood and was rarely around babies. Now two months into his role as a father, Miller is most excited about the series of "firsts" he will get to experience with his son in the years to come.
"You're always observing everything around you because there's a first for everything, like a first smile. A week and a half ago I caught him smiling for the first time and that was so special."

Miller and Solomon

But aside from the fun side of parenthood Miller says he's aware of the challenges ahead.
"Fatherhood to me now is an act of steady presence. I think about how I thought about my dad and I'm sure that's something every parent does, both trying to emulate the good traits and to minimize the negative traits. It's this daily 'figure it out as you go.'"

Miller said he wasn't close with his own father until his college years, but is since more understanding of him.
"My dad and I are spitting images personality-wise of each other, but now he's one of my best friends. I hope Solomon is a free enough thinker to challenge me. I challenged my dad, but it took me a while to get to a place where I could be like, 'Hey what do you think of this?' I hope it doesn't have to wait until college."
For his first Father's Day, Miller says he plans to work. Though a long time in the works with a childhood friend, Collective Espresso opened just six months ago in Over-the-Rhine. Miller said he doesn't mind keeping the celebration minimal.
"Of course I'm proud, but I feel like I don't do any of the work. (Tiffany's) home all the time and carried the baby for nine months. I'm looking forward to more responsibly as he grows... to teach him how to be a good man."