why kids need a dad: father's day 2012

One of the first times I realized how differently Mike and I view things regarding child-rearing was when Andrew was one year old.  We were putting together his new swing set (which led to a pretty big marital disagreement--another story for another day) and I was trying to keep him out of the new soil we had just put in the flower beds.  He was drawn to the new soil, crawling around in it, throwing it and eating it.

I kept trying to get him out of the flower bed, he kept getting back in.  I was getting frustrated, and in a huff, announced that I was taking him in the house.  Mike stopped me and told me that I need to let him get dirty.  Well, I argued with him for a minute, listing all the reasons top soil was not okay for him to eat.  He then told me that I was going to raise a "pansy" and a kid that was "afraid of getting dirty."  Well, I never.

So, I left him out there.  He eventually stopped trying to eat it and stuck with just throwing it.  After we were done with the yard work, I took him in for a bath and his diaper was full of soil.  His ears had dirt in them and he had a dirt mustache.

Mike helps keep things simple.  He would take the little kids to the zoo and grab a diaper, some wet wipes, one sippy cup and a bag of goldfish.  I got anxiety that the diaper bag wasn't full of hand sanitizer, healthy snacks and sunscreen.  I learned to relax about what was in the bag.  He learned the importance of sunscreen.

He doesn't over-think things.  He will just decide one afternoon to up and take the kids fishing, or build something, or play a game.  I get overwhelmed with all of the preparation and supplies.  He just does it.

He teaches the kids to work.  I find it easier to just do some things myself.  He works alongside the kids and shows them how to.

He spends time with them.  He is not the kind of guy that looks for a reason to be away from us.  If he has somewhere to go, one of the kids is usually with him.

When Bev and Christian recently decided that they wanted some tadpoles, Mike was right on board.  While I was gone, he let them ride bikes to the pet store.  YIKES!  With their own money, they bought a tadpole habitat.  They found out that it is illegal to sell little tadpoles, so they would have to order them through the mail.

While they were out and about, they drove by a pond store and stopped in to see if they had tadpoles.  They came home with 5 giant tadpoles, that I am assuming will grow into some giant frogs.  They won't fit in the habitat, so they broke out the big aquarium.  Mike has been taking the kids shopping for supplies and food and they have been googling how to care for them.

(To each his own, I guess.  I collect cats and he lets the kids collect aquatic animals.)

Thanks to Pinterest, I found this cute idea--a little deck of cards book, "52 things we love about you."  We are pretty lucky to have him.