It has been a while, but I could have never guessed two kids would keep me this busy! Needless to say, I am starting to become more comfortable with the idea of remaining as a family of four. Anyway, I feel like since baby K was born, things have been non-stop and just the other day I finally slowed down to reflect a little bit on the past six months.
We were out with some friends one night recently and I overheard my friend's husband talking to my hubby about their daily responsibilities and it really got me thinking. Now I know there are many different family dynamics out there but hear me out, because it's time to give credit where credit is due. Stay at home moms get plenty of recognition because well, they do the kid thing all day; same goes for stay at home dads. Then working moms because they work all day and then come home to the demands of being a mom (which I believe are different from those of dad). Then of course the single parents, who take on so much are recognized because they really must have a super power gene mixed in somewhere. All of those parental categories aside, I am taking the time to recognize the daddies out there who support their families financially and come home to an evening filled with dinner, diapers and in our case a very bossy toddler!
The daddies I am talking about are those that come home from working a long day and settle on the floor to hang with the kids. The ones who dive in head first into the evening chaos of dinner, bed and bath, and the ones who give mom a much needed break, when in reality they probably need a break, too.
There are moments, of course, when husbands need more direction than we really want to give but these guys work so hard to make their wives and children happy and they deserve to be recognized every day for their efforts, just like they are expected to support their wives for keeping the household together in their absence.
My husband lets me take time to get my sanity back, whether it is grocery shopping solo or enough time to (gasp!) actually fix my hair. He will take the baby from me when he can tell she has been fussing all day, and sometimes if I am frazzled enough, he will come off 3rd and stay up for as long as he can, just to make the effort. The crazy thing is, guys like this hardly get attention for what they do, especially because they are the kinds of guys who do not really notice if and when their actions go unrecognized.
Well, honey, here it is, I notice how much you help with the kids, I appreciate the fact that you are learning to match the girls' clothes to their bows, that you take the time to wash the bottles before work. To the other guys out there just like my husband, you are noticed and you are appreciated, even if it doesn't come across as we nag you about the laundry on the floor or the house being a mess after a day of daddy day care. So thank you, for not only being my partner and best friend and not complaining (too much) about neverending daddy duty, but also for being my extra pair of arms and eyes, my extra hour in the day, and a man our girls can be proud to call their daddy.
