Warming Parental Flashback

The Older Daughter was washing her comforter this evening, but it didn’t get dry before bedtime. She headed to bed, but asked me bring it in after it was dry, throw it over her, and tuck her in. I smiled. I was more than happy to oblige. This is something that I haven’t had the privilege of doing for a lot of years.

If you have followed me for awhile, you know that I sometimes miss having younger kids and some of the mundane rituals that went along with it. Just a few minutes ago, I took the nice, warm comforter out of the dryer, put it gently over her, and tucked it in around her. Then I gave her a kiss on the forehead and whispered “I love you” into her ear. It was priceless and made my day.

Cool Dad?

Thanks to John for this one. These things are always of questionable accuracy, but this one seems to have hit the nail on the head for me. I’m not really interested in being “cool”. I’m interested in being a good father. Don’t get me wrong, I’m goofy and have lots of fun with the kids. But in the end, you do need to have reasonable rules and structure.

You Will Not Be a Cool Parent

And that’s pretty okay. While your kids may not think of you as a friend, they will respect you.You know that kids need discipline and structure, and you’re not afraid to give it to them.Just be careful that your strictness doesn’t lead to rebellion. It’s good to have standards and rules, but you don’t need to have an iron fist when enforcing them.

Would You Be a Cool Parent?

Important Health Warning For Children

Check out this public service video about a disease epidemic affecting our children.  Being informed is your best protection.

Reduced To A Taxi Driver And A Banker

A father can serve many roles with his children throughout the years:

• Janitor when she makes a mess
• Teacher when helping her with homework
• Chef when preparing a lunch or dinner
• Doctor/nurse when she is sick
• Inventor when helping her dream up a play-time scenario
• Architect/Builder to make that scenario happen
• Mechanic when fixing that broken toy
• Counselor when she needs guidance on a problem

As the years wear on, she is often less and less interested in these roles. However, there are two roles that remain for me: Taxi Driver and Banker. Sometimes I feel like I spend my life in the car shuttling the kids all over creation. And of course, there’s nothing more expensive than raising kids. I will see the Taxi Driver role start to fade as the Older Daughter starts driving next year. It’s bittersweet. I want her to grow up and be independent, but dads like being useful.