Someone once said to me that being a dad is the best job you’ll ever have, I take issue with this statement…. Kinda…. I wouldn’t consider anything you get a great deal of pleasure from a job, and also, you don’t get paid for doing it! But I understand where he is coming from so we’ll leave it at that.
Instead I would like to say that being a dad is the best thing you can do with your life, I’ve always thought it is what we’re meant to do, carry on the family line, the human race, raise a human being to be better than you and improve the world they’re going to be living in and then leave behind!
I was late to the party, our first daughter arrived when I was 37 a year younger than my dad when he had me, a chip off the old block you might say (in more ways than one – if you know me personally, you’ll get that joke). I was 2 days short from 39 when our second daughter arrived, sadly she didn’t survive to see my 39th birthday.
I often wonder what people used to say about me before I had a kid, you know the conversations that families have about other family members they know so well…
“Ohhhh he’s not the sort to be having kids, never talked about it”
Or…
“It’s a shame really, he’d make a lovely dad…”
I never really thought about it until my Gran said to me, “I never thought you’d be a dad.” Why not I thought, but then I was the oldest of all the cousins on my mum’s side, and the last of the boys to be a parent, so I guess conversations were had!
Being a dad really is the best! The joy it brings you is second to none, the things it allows you to do, Kid’s parties excluded, is incredible, you have a full blown excuse to be a kid again, be silly, make funny noises and faces and most importantly, play with toys again!! Don’t get me wrong it’s hard! Bloody hard, the other night my daughter had a nightmare and wouldn’t settle, we brought her into our bed where she somehow managed to manoeuvre herself horizontally across the bed, head on mummy, feet on me… I always get the feet, then at 5.45 am she kicks me in the head and farts in my face! Thanks Darlin’! But all is forgiven when she wakes up as cute as can be and say’s “morning daddy, what your doing today daddy? See you friends?” Only your child would get away with this, if your mate did it, you’d smack him in the mouth!
We get tantrums, both hangry and tired ones (she get’s all this from her mother) she hates having her hair washed, so this is a mission, most mornings are a battle as she’s not a morning person and hates putting on clothes (she get’s this from her father). Screams of “WANT TO RUN AROUND NAKED” can be heard down the street, and my daughter screams similar words…. She goes around and clips together all the chest straps of my back packs and ruck sacks when she can, so when I go to put them on I end up a tangled mess, struggling to figure out why I can’t get my arm through the other strap… This usually happens in front of customers at client meetings or friends right before a hike…
But everything is forgotten when I walk through the door at the end of the day and she drops everything and runs at me screaming “DADDYYYYY!!!” and jumps up at me for a cuddle! Also when you hear her from the other room say “NO! I want daddy to do it!” This is an absolute result, other dad’s will understand this, when your kid chooses you over mummy, it means you have made a serious time investment, and your child has decided that you are ready to reap the dividends!
That’s all they care about, time! Despite what adverts and toy companies try to tell you, they don’t really want toys and stuff! They just want YOUR time and attention, they want you to build a den, throw them around, play pretend in the garden and help them facilitate their wild imaginations! As bloke’s we’re naturally good at this sort of thing, because deep down we never GROWED UP…. We still have imaginations, we still want to play with stuff and we’re thankful to have an excuse to play up in public…
The other day in IKEA my daughter and I were jumping on the beds, I was throwing her from one to the other, getting in the sheets and hiding… This is weird behaviour if you’re on your own, but take a child with you and it’s cute….
“aw look at that dad playing with his kid….”
Big beaming gushy smiles all round!!
Children will naturally want mummy! It’s understandable, they were connected for 9 months and dependant for goodness knows how long after, so it’s nothing personal when she says she wants mummy. But, when she says she wants a cuddle with daddy, you know you’re winning!!!
Take it easy and go make some babies!
TM
