Dads hear a lot.
They come home from work and get bombarded from you and from the kids about how the day was. You don’t mean harm, but you’ve been socializing with miniatures that don’t have much to say (or have too much) and you yearn for adult conversation. So, dads usually hear it all, but have you ever stopped to think about what exactly they’re hearing…and what they aren’t.
They hear how many dirty diapers you changed today.
They don’t hear how many times the kids made you laugh.
They hear about how messy the house is, and the piles of laundry that are filling your upstairs hallway.
They don’t hear about why the house is a mess. It’s because of how hard the kids played and the fort you built together in the living room.
They hear how you haven’t showered in 3 (maybe 4) days.
They don’t hear about how you skipped your chance to shower in the afternoon because your 1-year-old fell asleep in your arms, and you chose to lay there with her because these moments are getting more rare as she gets older.
They hear about what she refused to eat and the mess she made when she refused to eat it.
They don’t hear about how you took a detour during your morning errands to have a fun snack out together which is why she probably wasn’t hungry for lunch.
They hear about how she cried herself to sleep.
They don’t hear about the 9 books she wanted to read with you and how she is beginning to form sounds that are starting to sound like her first words.
They hear about the water all over the bathroom floor because his daughter refused to sit down for her entire bath.
They don’t hear about the mud puddles you were happily splashing in, and how you danced in the rain together all morning.
They hear about how tired you are and the bags under your eyes.
They don’t hear about your dream last night of the first daddy-daughter dance your husband goes to with your baby girl and how you woke up smiling.
It feels good to vent. Trust me I am the first one to dump about the difficulties and inconveniences that parenthood holds, but raising Lottie and watching her grow up is the best thing that has ever happened to me (cue the cheesy music).
I remind myself when I get to that unshowered, run down point of the day that I am lucky. I am lucky to change her fourth dirty diaper of the day and I am lucky to lose sleep because she is teething and refuses to lay in her crib. I am lucky because I’m her mom. Somedays I have to remind myself this, but one smile, laugh or hug from her will quickly remind me that I’m the lucky one.
Take a moment before you dad-dump and first fill him in on all of the good things that happened today. And while you are at it, remind yourself of those good things, because those small moments of joy are what makes parenthood worth it.
Leave a Reply