Fatherhood is…
Child's Play x2 | August 3Bill Cosby, the greatest TV dad of all time, once said “Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope.”
I figure after 12+ months of being a father myself, I could add a few to Mr. Cosby’s list. Here’s what I have come up with so far.
Fatherhood is…
- Lowering the crib.
- Always being behind the camera, rarely in front of it.
- Being enough of a man to say I love you.
- Being the designated “rough houser.”
- Is looking cool with a child strapped to your chest.
- Being a cheerleader for a breastfeeding mom.
- Dreaming up ways to intimidate your daughter’s boyfriends (beginning at birth).
- Making sure the kids root for the “right” team.
- Oiling the new baseball glove.
- Teaching by example while knowing little eyes are watching.
- Teammates with motherhood.
- Going to work with snot-stained clothes.
- Cleaning up the puke.
- Doing night time duty.
- Being unable to resist new toys when visiting Target.
- Being simultaneously fascinated and horrified by the latest dirty diaper.
- After a long day, hearing the words “Daddy’s Home!” as the kids squeal in delight.
What is fatherhood to you?
Trying to look macho and manlike while carrying a diaper bag.
Boy this list could certainly go on forever and be labled “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.”
I would have to say that Fatherhood is…
…everything I wanted it to be.
Teaching the kid how to burp her name (without mommy knowing…)
Fatherhood is the point at which your life goes from “a series of days and nights” to “one long day with a few naps here and there.”
I love the list and something happened today that made me mentally add to the list. We bought likeabikes (do a search at cycling.tv) for my twin 2 year old boys. They arrived a week ago and they get better every day.
On to the story, I commute every day by bike and they totally know “Daddy, bike, hat (helmet)”. With the hot weather this week and family in, today was the first time I rode and they were outside with my wife. They force her to bring the bikes down from our apartment, but when they get to the playground, the lose interest. Today, when I rode up in full riding gear, they ran for their bikes and their helmets. We played follow the leader for an hour. They had so much fun following me around.
So I guess Fatherhood is … having my two little mini-me’s want to be just like daddy.
Great list. I would add that fatherhood is seeing the little ones sad/crying, and being able to make them stop and smile/laugh.
…holding your 3 year old son as he gets his first three stitches in his forehead (really, holding him down as he tries to escape from the papoose neck/back board that he was velcro-ed into), after having sent his mother home from the ER to have her miss the piercing screams of his (normally) sweet little voice.
He’s over it now, but that was a tricky one.
I think Fatherhood is celebrating Los Tres Amigos - that’s what me and my Okapis call the time we spend together without Mommy. Tonight was Los Tres Amigos Thursday (my wife has Yoga) and I took them out to Friendly’s. MMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
“Going to work with snot-stained clothes”
awesome