Being a Father

With today being Father’s Day, I want to wish every father out there, a happy one, especially my husband, Joe.

Being a parent and a stay-at-home-mom isn’t always easy, and some days it is the hardest thing I have ever done. Sometimes, by the end of the day, I am completely burned out, and exhausted.  Then Joe comes home from work, and everything seems to balance back out.

Joe is a father the second he wakes up, until the moment he goes to bed.  I know he has hard, grueling, and tiring days as well, but the instant he walks through the front door, and Ryan screams, “Daddy!” you wouldn’t know it.  Joe plays with Ryan and Cole as soon as he arrives home, and keeps it up until they go to bed.

Before we had kids, Joe would like to relax, read the paper, or watch TV, before dinner.  Lots of times he cooked dinner as well.  I know he would still like to do those things, but he selfishly puts his wants on the back burner to make time for our boys, who just thrive off his love, his time, and his “Big Goofing Around,” (which is bouncing both boys on the bed.)

I remember the days of my childhood, and it just didn’t seem like a lot of the father’s I knew were that involved.  They went to work, came home, maybe played a little with their kids, and that was about it.  I know with most women having to work outside the home these days, a paradigm has shifted and men are sharing in more of the child-rearing than in generations past.

That being said, I don’t work outside of the home, and Joe still gives 100% as a father.  He doesn’t want or expect me to shoulder all the responsibility of raising the children.  I know there are days where he is just bone-tired, from getting no sleep, and then having to go to work all day, and then he still comes home in a good mood, and helps out with the boys, and chores around the house. 

I think we expect a lot from our husbands today as fathers, and I know I don’t say it nearly enough to Joe- thank you for all that you do for me, and for our children.  Thank you for giving me a break when I need it the most.  Thank you for getting up and going to work every single day, so we don’t have to worry about finances.  Thank you for going even though, Ryan cries when Daddy has to walk out the front door every morning- that can’t be easy.  Thank you for getting up early on Saturday mornings with Ryan, and cooking him waffles.  Thank you for taking the boys outside and playing with them after dinner, so I can clean up and get organized in peace.  Thank you for giving Cole and Ryan a bath almost every night. Thank you for all the stories you read to them, and all the countless hours you spend playing with them.

Ryan, Cole, and I are SO lucky to have a husband and father like you- you are the soul of our family and we love you.  Happy Father’s Day!