Dad of a Red-Headed Girl

A glorious journey in fatherhood

[dadofagirl-blog]

Arguing with a child

Arguing with a two-year-old child is like arguing with a drunk. They both babble and slur their words. They both have seemingly impaired vision. And they both stumble and fall over their own feet and spill their drinks all over the floor.

It always amazes me how fast Madeline learns, but parenting is a beautiful and frustrating experience. Do all children have a selective memory and selective hearing? The child can remember 36.5 hours later when you promised to give her chocolate or to buy a toy, but a minute after you tell her not to put anything in the toilet, she has her dancing dog toy balanced precariously over the potty. “Pee pee, Daddy!” “No, baby. Your animatronic dog does not have to pee pee, and I told you to stay away from the potty with your toys!”

“Chotate (Chocolate), daddy!” *face palm*

Speaking of learning, our daughter goes to Kindermusik. Forget the gym, just go to Kindermusik. It is up and down, wiggling like a worm on the floor, and hopping on one foot. The other day I took Madeline to Kindermusik by myself. Five minutes into the class, she asks for her paci. I say no and she loses it. For the next fifteen minutes she is in the floor crying. (Sounds like somebody who has had too much to drink to me.) We finally calmed down and finished Kindermusik, and I knew that it had been a total waste of time. But then she surprised me.

A few weeks later she says, “Better go round,” and circles her finger inside her palm. Children are learning and listening even when they are in the floor pitching a hissy fit.

A friend of mine always told me that the best part of parenting for her was watching the little one experiencing the small things of life for the first time. When something surprises Madeline, she says, “Oooooooooooo, whatsat!”

Why do we, with the miraculous things we have experienced, look at life as boring and dull. We could take a tip from our little ones and look at the world through fresh eyes every day.

Next time you are in Walmart arguing with your two-year-old child, take the keys, put her in the car, and drive her home because you can’t argue with a child or a drunk. They both need designated drivers and a lot of sleep. :)

[dadofagirl-blog]

I don’t do diapers. I can’t count the times I have heard a dad say, “I don’t do diapers. That is my wife’s job.“ Or the ever so famous, “I don’t watch them when the wife is gone. That is what grandparents are for.” That has never been a problem for me. From the day my daughter was born, I knew I had to change diapers. In fact it is a precious gift. I watched my wife carry our daughter inside her, fight through 15 hours of labor (not fun), and I’m supposed to say “not my job” because I am the dad. You better duck because there are a ton of women with purses (heavy purses) that will take your head clean off your body for that statement. That is part of the problem with the world today. We have lost our sense of responsibility. We decide we aren’t going to do this or that because it is not our job. It is rampant in the workplace, in the community, and in our own homes. We have been taught that it is the mother’s job to change diapers, feed the child, and watch the child. And if Mom needs a night out on the town with the girls because she hasn’t had a shower in two weeks, we have Nana and Papa on speed dial to watch them because we have things to do. I see so many dad’s squandering the time they could be using to watch their daughter grow up because it isn’t their job to babysit. They are absolutely correct! It is not your job to babysit. It is your duty and honor as a dad to watch that little one when Mom needs a break, needs to take a potty break in peace, or at any time of the day or night. I wouldn’t take anything for those times when it was just me and the red-headed monster rocking out to the Doc McStuffin’s theme song or kissing baby dolls because one of them bumped their head. And when you get put in time out with the baby dolls for no apparent reason, you are doing parenting right. And you don’t get up before she lets you because you are modeling behavior all the time for your child. Yes, I am a dad. And yes, I know every word to the Doc Mcstuffin’s theme song. “The Doc is in so she’ll fix you up. If you’re a toy, then you’re in luck. It’s okay. Don’t be afraid. The Doc really knows her stuff.” And this part is important. “Do, do, do, you know what’s good for you? The Doc is going to help you feel better. Oh, oh, oh, it’s the place to go when you feel a little under the weather. Let Doc McStuffins do her thing to get you right back in the swing. Doc Mcstuffins, Doc McStuffins, come let the visit begin. The Doc is in.” It is important to sing it at the top of your lungs with a hairbrush microphone and dance to your heart’s content because one day that little girl’s smile will be more because of her fiance and a little less because Dad is a crazy nut. Next time you say, “It’s not my job or I don’t do tea parties,” think about what you’re missing and what you are telling your little one. For those of you with little girls, you just might be teaching them that what they want to do is just not important so why should they even ask. Tell them they are beautiful, paint their toes, learn to put their hair in pigtails, and for God’s sake, change their diaper because you are a dad and this is the greatest job in the world.