Father's Day

Every wife thinks her husband is the best dad ever, and I am no exception. I think my husband is pretty much in the running for world's greatest dad. Something changed in him when he became a dad.

I'll never forget the day our oldest daughter was born. They gave me some crazy drugs in the hospital and I briefly remember her being placed in my arms and then conking out and waking up alone in a hospital room. A few minutes later he walked into the room and he had tears streaming down his face. I was very concerned. "Is everything okay?" He wiped his face. "No! The baby is in the nursery crying and no one will pick her up." It literally killed his soul. After they brought her to us, we didn't let her leave. They came to take her to test her hearing and he was like, "I'm coming." He didn't let her leave his sight. It was hard for him when she was an infant because she was so attached to me, but as she grew they developed a beautiful bond. When she was 1, she would wake up in the morning and look around for him. "Daddy's at work." She would go to the living room window and cry, "Dada!!!" What am I? Chopped liver? When he came home, he was like a celebrity.

By the time our second daughter was born, he was a professional. He was the first person to see her, and to touch her. He adored her. He changed diapers, he rocked crying babies, he carried them around in a baby carrier. He loved to just play with them and make them laugh.

As they have gotten older, he has grown as a father. Watching him with the girls makes me love him exponentially. The girls love super heroes, which makes him so happy. They watch X-Men cartoons and he plans trips to see all the new comic movies. They came name all the Justice League members. They play badminton and pillow fight. They have fun together and he just loves them to pieces. Few people know that side of my husband. He has such a tough exterior and is often mistaken for being stern and serious - but he is really a softie. I love that about him.

He is mom a lot too. I travel extensively for work and that means that he has to run the show alone frequently. He is on it. He makes dinner, checks homework, makes sure the girls are groomed and taken care of. People always seemed amazed when I tell them that my husband runs the household singe -handedly when I am away. This bothers me, because he is completely capable of doing all the things that I can do. Dads are completely underrated and under valued in our society. I hate tv and movies that portray dads as clueless. Truth be told, I think my husband is a better parent than I am. He never second guesses himself. He lives in the moment. He is organized. He is the perfect balance of hard and soft. Just this week, I was trying to get my daughter to take her medicine. She refused repeatedly until I chased her around the house. She finally gave in. I sat across from her with the syringe in my hand. She sighed, "Dad does it better than you." I rolled my eyes, "Oh, really?" "Yeah. He doesn't chase me around like a maniac. He touches my leg and says, 'Look, you have to take your medicine so you will feel better. Okay?'" She has a point. I touched her leg and said, "You have to take your medicine so you will feel better."

That night, we were watching a movie and my husband was laying on the couch. I went and laid on top of him. Then my nine year old came over and then the seven year old. We all wanted to lay with dad. I realized that he is the sun around which we all revolve. I feel so blessed to have him as the father of our children and I appreciate him more than he will ever know. :)