As you know–Father’s Day was a couple weekends ago. It seems like every time Mother’s Day rolls around–the commercials ramp up for expensive gifts, flowers, and daily reminders to not forget your Mom and let her know how much you appreciate her. As a Momma, I really love this and I enjoy feeling special.
But this year I really noticed something for Father’s Day–and it’s bothered me. Daddy’s are just kind of passed over. The commercials are pretty much non-existent and the rare ones they have are for discount shorts, cheap sandals and grills. It’s not that we don’t do things to recognize our Dad’s–it just seems it’s not as with as much enthusiasm as it is for our Mom’s.
I have a great Daddy and Super Rockstar is a really great Daddy to our two boys. He lost his own father when he was only 7 years old. But I can tell you this–even though he did not have his own dad to guide him in the ways of fatherhood–he is a natural at it. Our two young sons idolize him and he is their everything. I love seeing how he enjoys them every bit as much–if not more–as they enjoy him.
In the 11-plus years that we have been parents, I’ve noticed that he fulfills certain requirements in our young ones that I simply am not gifted at. I naturally fall into the role of caregiver, nurturer, boo boo healer, chef, cleanliness enforcer, chauffer,…..the list goes on and on. But Super Rockstar–he’s their Daddy. And Daddy’s are special. These are just 5 of the things that make Daddy’s important and unique to the lives of children
- They Play. And when I say play–I mean PLAY. He has an innate knack of going from working man, responsible adult to whatever hero or villain is required, wrestler, or warrior in a light saber or nerf gun battle
- They are Willing to Fix Stuff. I’ll be honest, when a toy breaks, my general attitude is “if it can’t be repaired with duct tape or super glue, you’ll have to wait until Daddy gets home”. He is willing to take the time, find the problem and repair it.
- They Teach Important Things. I’ve noticed that when I am trying to teach my boys a lesson, I can tell I come across as boring–their eyes glaze over as I use WAY too many words and lecture like a college professor. But, when it’s Daddy–he has their full, undivided attention. I don’t know if it’s the deeper tone of his voice or what (less like my shrieking owl tone). He also is willing to teach them important stuff like how to make armpit fart noises, catch food in your mouth, and make proper artillery sounds when firing machine guns and launching grenades.
- They are Willing to Just Hang Out. I don’t know about you, but as a Momma–I have a billion things I always feel like I need to get done RIGHT NOW. I love playing with and being with my boys, but something inside of me never allows me to do it for very long. Their Daddy, on the other hand, doesn’t have an internal alarm clock going off every two minutes. He is willing and very much enjoys just sitting with our boys–watching silly shows, talking about nothing, and will plant himself on the floor and immerse himself in their world of play.
- They Can be Calm in the Midst of Chaos. I have always marveled at how Super Rockstar has this amazing ability to listen calmly while one (or sometimes both) of our boys scream in frustration, talk back, or throw a fit. These things send me over an emotional edge, but he is able to calmly listen, talk it out and help them see a different way of handling it.
I am grateful every day that our boys have him as their very strong, very involved, very loving, very fun, and very responsible Daddy. I happen to have a pretty darn good Daddy too (he let me put barrettes in his hair and came to my tea parties). Daddy’s are special.
Don’t forget to tell your own Daddy every chance you get and make sure your child’s Daddy knows how much you appreciate all he does too.