Later in the evening my husband pointed out how it said motherhood, not parenthood, not one mention of Dad's in general. He also pointed out how technically we choose these things. We choose to get pregnant, and all that things that come after. Granted there are some cases of those who don't choose it, but I digress. Either way, he's right. Now that blog post concludes with a nice mushy post about how she is truly grateful for her children, which again is the case for most parents.
So in honor my husband, and other father's out there. I'd like to mention 'How it is to be a Dad,' from a wife/mom point of view. I'm sure my husband could add to this tenfold, but I'll give it a go.
1. Lack of Sleep is not gender specific. My husband has gotten up just as many times as me, if not more. For the first 3 months after our daughter was born, he was the main soothe the baby person. Our daughter spent quite a few nights sleeping on his chest. Not to mention I also discovered my ability to sleep through a small tornado during that time period, so half the time I didn't hear her. I eventually moved on from that stage, but even to this day, he gets up as often as I do.
2. Dealing with a pregnant wife. I'd like to say I was a pretty awesome pregnant person. I don't remember having any temper tantrums, requesting midnight runs, or doing much moaning and groaning. My husband may disagree though. That being said, that's not always the case for some men. They're once affectionate wife has now been turned into a human incubator and thus takes it out on them. I may not win many brownie points for this, but as my husband said we do choose it. So ladies, try and remember that on occasion.
3. Children's Television. Dora is a favorite in our household. My husband has been subjected to just as many shows as I have. We tend to have a 2 show rule in our household, but I will admit it sometimes gets broken. Yes Dora makes me want to stab pointy things in my eyes, but our daughter loves it and that's what matters. Luckily she also has a preference for hockey and baseball.
4. The other author used child maintenance, but honestly I'm not fond of that word. It makes me feel like I'm taking care of livestock or something. Again, not a gender specific thing. My husband has changed just as many poop explosions, made countless mac & cheese's, and was there through the potty training stage.
5. Fear. Do I really need to explain this one?
I referenced that article, but there are many more out there that are just the same way. My husband has commented countless times about how parents magazine should be called motherhood, and he's right. They talk about getting into your skinny jeans again, how to change behaviors, and what toys to buy or not buy, but rarely do they give Dad's any insight. On the rare occasion they do have an article, it's written by a woman. Granted that may negate my post here, but it would be nice if that got some guys in there. Dad's truly get the short end of the stick when it comes to any form of acknowledgement by society other than Father's Day.
My husband is a wonderful father and very involved in our daughter's life. I know there are tons of dad's out there that do the same. So I guess what I'm saying is that parenthood is about both sides of the story, and about being in it together.
