When DD and I first got together years ago, I didn’t realise how well he would take to being a Dad.
When we did talk about kids, he always told me: “I only want one, a girl.” Not naturally baby people, neither of us were very comfortable with kids and DD confessed to being lost as to what to do with them.
All that changed after we had one, then now two kids. (DD has revised the number of kids that he would like to have significantly upwards, by the way. So much for his only one girl pronouncement!)
From the get-go, DD was a very involved father, carrying, playing, feeding and reading to the kids, day after day. And teaching and scolding too, for in our home, Papa is the disciplinarian. The “if you don’t do XX, I’m going to tell Papa” line actually works rather well!
During our recent London trip, he was the one fretting over the kids meals while I took a relaxed approach towards what they were eating or really, not eating. He was the one who suggested that we go eat Chinese food when he felt Meips was not eating well and needed her rice, he was the one who worried about their reduced veggie intake and who insisted that we buy fruit to make up for it, and he was the one painstakingly feeding Meips her sandwich, tiny bite by tiny bite, as long as she finished it. Since we’ve come back he’s been the one commenting on how light they are and wanting to put as much weight back on them as quickly as possible.
Feeding both kids his order of Chicken Milanese just yesterday, because they loved it. The two ended up finishing up almost the whole dish, and DD was left to eat the pizza that Noey had ordered instead.
The kids really enjoyed spending so much time with Papa. By the middle of the trip, Meips had christened him Daddie, and it was “I want Daddie to feed me!” and “I want Daddie to carry me!” everyday. And he was mostly happy to oblige.
This year, Father’s Day feels like it came a bit too quickly. All of us have just (finally!) recovered from jet lag and are only starting to get back in our normal routine. We didn’t get to do very much for Papa, though Noey and I did a coffee run and came back with a Cinnamon Ice Blended for him, and I made a Jelly Hearts Cheesecake for him that DD is very pleased about.
When reflecting on his Father’s Day, DD commented that he “got to fix Noey’s remote control car twice.” “I guess that’s that sort of thing fathers do,” he said.
You right, my dear, but you do that and so much more, for the kids. You’re their playmate, their camel, their foil between them and Mummy’s wrath, their teacher, their role model and their guide. Thank you for being the best Daddy! We love you lots.
Papa gets Meips’ Star of approval.
And in honour of my Lego-loving husband, here’s a Lego Star Wars Happy Father’s Day message for all you Dads. I hope you had a great day!
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