If it were a fair representation of our marriage and our parenting, half of the Mommy Mondays would actually be Daddy Mondays.
Things that my husband does way better than me:
1. He gets up in the morning. Cheerfully.
For the whole of her life, The Gorilla has taken on morning duty. I am a cranky, ugly mess for the first hour of the day but he is not. He doesn't mind a wailing toddler alarm. He gets her dressed and feeds her breakfast and they play outside with the turtles for awhile. Since his work schedule often means he gets home after she's already in bed at night, this is their special time together. Meanwhile I curse the daylight and blindly search for a cold Dr. Pepper.
2. He feeds her fruits and vegetables.
You might not know that I don't eat many fruits and vegetables. I know this is, like, anti-human, but I'm an adult and I can do what I wanna. I may or may not have given Pigtail a cupcake for breakfast in the last few weeks. But The Gorilla is so great at feeding her healthy choices. He makes her eggs in the morning and steams her peas at night. He cuts up mango and shares his banana. We're hoping she inherits his eating habits and not mine.
3. He rough houses with her and she likes it.
Pigtail may look like a little thing, but she is a force at playtime. Together, the wrestle and toss and spin wildly on the swingset. I usually watch with amusement, camera in hand. Many times I have employed the phrase, "Momma doesn't like it when you jump on her head."
4. Not worrying.
I wouldn't exactly call myself a worry wart, but I do get anxiety about all kinds of things that would never cross The Gorilla's mind. And when I voice my concerns, he is consistently the voice of reason. This doesn't make much of a difference in Pigtail's life now, but as she grows up I'm glad that she'll have such a steady hand to hold onto.
When I first met The Gorilla, having a family was the furthest thing from his mind. One of my strengths? Changing that.
Happy Father's Day to the best partner I could ask for.
(To see what I wrote about my own father last year, click here.)
