When I dole out advice to my girls about picking a future spouse it always involves my relationship with their dad. They know how great he is because they’ve paid attention to real life. Unlike me, they’ve always known the love of their father. They don’t wonder if he thinks they are incredible or beautiful….he’s always been there loving them, investing in them and caring for them and their many needs.
The day we found out I was pregnant with our first baby, our sweet boy Gavin….the thing I remember most is the way he jumped up out of his chair excitedly in the doctor’s office. He’s been that kind of dad from the very beginning. Our son is a mirror reflection of him in many ways. They are especially close and I’ve had the joy of watching him father our boy into manhood. In spite of both of our mistakes, we have super cool kids.
For Father’s Day, I’m listing just 10 reasons I believe my hubby is a great dad because of course, there are many more than just 10!
1 – He’s involved.
He loves doing stuff for and WITH his kids. He will try any project, adventure or dirty job. Our kids will call him for whatever it is going on in their life. He tries to always have an answer or solution and he doesn’t give up easily if it’s too big to handle.
Thanks, Free People for leaving a security tag on a snazzy dress (found once we were home 2 hours away!). Dad to the rescue!
2 – He teaches our kids to have goals.
We’ve worked hard at working hard. Many of our decisions were forced upon us because of lack of planning. Thankfully, we realized that setting goals was the only way to get the results we were really wishing for. He’s a dad who isn’t afraid to sit his kids down and say, dream! Write it out! Now, let’s see how to get there!
3 – He’s fun.
He likes to get into stuff. He will make a mess, tear things up and even allow himself to look silly. I didn’t grow up like that. Too many rules. He’s all let’s have fun and I’m all clean that up! I wish I could relax and trash the place too!
4 – He’s always teaching.
He loves learning and he loves sharing what he learns. Maybe that’s why the kids always call him for every little thing. He never minds the questions (and I’ve noticed, he makes up some answers too). He’s interested in everything and is a master know-it-all!
5 – He’s a softy.
Oh, he talks tough. But beyond our kids….he is mushy to a point regarding our animals. I love that quality.
6 – He’s aware his kids need him.
They need him for many reasons. He’s their father and he will always shoot straight. It does them no good if he sugar coats issues or rescues every emergency. He is learning the difference between doing too much and letting them fail. Life is hard, while he wishes to wipe away every mistake…he knows they need to fall short in order to have the best life.
7 – He’s good at taking crap.
Even when it involves cleaning up crap.
Whether it be dog or people. He always saves the day by taking care of all the dirty jobs of life; car problems, homework issues, computer frustrations, broken items….every single thing.
Dad dad he’s our man! If he can’t do it, NOBODY can!
8 – He aims to grow great humans.
He doesn’t just build stuff and fix junk. He purposefully takes the time to make our kids good people. He’s open with them about his own shortcomings (like he could hide em). He has been known to apologize for his mistakes (a few, anyway). He knows he can’t hide any flaws from them…they are smart, like him!
9 – He always honors me above them.
I didn’t always have it in me to love him more than my kids. I blame that on the young mom syndrome. When you’re raising babies, it’s hard to not give them almost all of you. I’m so grateful for his love for me and I think our kids are too.
10 – He doesn’t give up easily.
He’s gone back to school, changed careers, gone to school again, moved across the country, changed jobs again, fixed up every house we’ve lived in, gone without, moved kids out, buried beloved pets, built tree houses, taken vacations to places he probably didn’t want to go, coached baseball & basketball, shared his time, set his own dreams aside to give our kids a normal and full life.
And I believe he’d do it all again. He’s that kind of dad!
The best!
We love you, babe! Way to go, Daddy-O!