Fatherhood – Play That Game

Being a father rocks. Sure, it's a lot of work, and there have been some sleepless nights... and it's been a harder job that anything I've ever done before in my life... but it rocks like Slayer. Here's a few reasons why:

Children’s Rides:
I’m a six-foot 240-pound man. I’d look pretty silly riding that kiddie train that you see at neighborhood festivals and fairs and the like. Well, add a 14 month old daughter and I’m the “good father” taking his daughter on a ride. Yeah, it rocks. I don’t even get looked at weird.

Snacks:
Ever been somewhere and you get a little hungry, but don’t want to stop and get something to eat? Well, if you have a kid, you’ve got snacks with you. Be it gummy fruits, toasted “Os” (cheap Cheerio knock-off), or zwieback toast – you’ve got something to tide you over until dinner.

Work:
Being a parent means you probably have to take your child to the doctor… a lot. I decided that I was going to be an active father. I want to know what’s going on with my daughter. I can’t see not going to the doctor with her when she’s sick. I don’t think it’s fair to send my wife there alone. Sure, I can’t be there 100% of the time, but neither can my wife, we take turns… it’s called a partnership… it’s called parenting. *steps off soapbox* Now to my thoughts on work. Suddenly, I’ve got an excused absence. I can use my sick leave when I feel fine. The trade off is, my child is sick or has a doctor’s appointment, but I’m leaving work early (or not coming in at all) when I feel fine. This means I can be asleep on the sofa at 3:00p.m. on a Friday. Yeah.

Funny dances:
I can dance in public now without anyone thinking I’m a weirdo. Think about it. Picture a guy bopping down the street like he’s on a hidden-camera episode of “Cop Rock:” Admit it, it’s pretty weird. Now add a baby in his arms. What a sweet-natured fun man. He must be a good daddy. From weirdo to amazingly cool man that everyone should strive to be in nine easy months.

Gross-out:
I’ve become pretty used to anything spouting out of anywhere. Poop, pee, snotty-nose, drool, or spit-up,,, it don’t bother me none. Suddenly getting poop on my hand is like getting mud on It.. it washes off and there’s really nothing wrong with a little mud (I went ahead and didn’t use a food analogy to describe getting poop-hands … you’re welcome).

Pictures:
I’m getting so much practice taking photos. Having a child is like having your own little model to pose and dress up. It’s awesome. My daughter has had her own Web site since before she was born. I’ve taken more photos of her than people take of the star of a movie premiere. I’ll bet I could get her into Guinness as the most photographed non-celebrity baby. I love taking pictures. The coolest thing is, she is so used to having a photo taken of her that she cheeses it up for the camera now. Makes daddy proud… she’s just as big a ham as I am.

Toys:
Baby Einstein, LeapFrog, and Fisher Price stuff rocks. There’s this cool musical “learning table” from LeapFrog that I can…ahem… I mean my daughter can rock out to. Fisher Price has this line of under-water themed toys that are awesome. Baby Einstein hasn’t come out with something I’ve seen that isn’t great – the interactive stacking blocks are cool and the DVDs are really interesting for kids of all ages (and you find yourself singing along with the songs in the weirdest places. Every time I see a dolphin I now sing to it, weather my daughter is with me or not).

Laughing:
If you have a child, you know what an amazing thing this is. To hear your own child laugh is awesome. We make sure to have laugh-time every day. My daughter has become such a pro at laughing, I think she moved to the next level – laughing with comedic timing. On April 9, 2005, my girl laughed at her own fart. It was amazing. She pooted and just lost it! I don’t know where she learned that farts are funny… but she has. I couldn’t be more proud.

There are so many other things that make fatherhood such a cool thing, but it’s 7:45a.m. on a Saturday morning and my little one is waking up, so I’ll close for now (having priorities is also a cool thing that came with fatherhood). Until next time.