What makes a good dad?

Have you ever wondered what makes a someone a good dad? Ever wondered what makes someone a bad father? I may not know for sure how someone becomes either but I do know that it’s fairly obvious to see. There must be certain things that a dad does or qualities that one possesses that separate the men from the boys so to speak.

Good Dad wanted, pay is low but fringe benefits high.

If there was a job opening and you were interviewing for the position of dad what would you be looking for? How would you tell the good from the bad? Could you tell? In case you are looking to fill a dad position anytime soon you may want to keep the below list in mind:

1. Must be willing to forgo a decent night sleep for several years.

2. If not willing to forgo sleep, must at least be willing to accept a kick to head by a toddler who is now sleeping in your bed.

3. Snot, puke and poop are all required to be handled at various times- sometimes all at once.

4. You need not apply if you are adverse to communicable diseases. Snot, puke and poop all over you can not simply be washed away, forget it, you are doomed.

5. Applicant must not find the need to question why a toddler wants a sandwich cut into quarters and then when you do, they get pissed because they actually wanted halves.

6. Dad must be agreeable to no less than two bedtime stories. These stories must be the longest, most annoying stories and completely devoid of anything interesting. The good ones must remain on the shelf at all costs.

7. Dinners out of the home are required to have good behavior by the kids for 90% of the time and then when you are packing up to leave world war 3 must begin. This causes the patrons around you to revoke their comments about how well behaved your children are and has them thanking jesus that you are leaving. Oh, and right before you walk out your youngest MUST crap their pants.

8. Must be willing to answer the same question at least 15 times per day without losing what little sanity he has remaining.

No? How about now?

9. Basic child hair management is a must especially for girls. A class would be helpful but since I have yet to find one simple experimentation is the only way to achieve success. Once you have mastered the simple ponytail she will no longer want that as a style and demand the style you are worst at.

10. “I’ll do it myself!” is not only a phrase but a way of life- Accept it and embrace it.

This list could easily be fifty items long but in the interest of keeping the candidates moving through we will limit it to ten.

The gig as a dad while long term will change over time, the toddler will turn into a teenager , the teen into an adult. It won’t be too long before the little one who loves to snuggle up and read will no longer want to even be seen within 50 feet of you. The tender moments and nuzzles  will be replaced by death stares. The crazy dinners will be replaced by total silence due to the fact that your teenager would rather be anywhere but the table with you. The bedtime stories long silent, the books dusty. The communicable disease will still be around.The sleepless nights will be back but for different reasons than in years past and you must know, that part may never end.

It takes a strong man to be a good dad. Bulletproof, thick skin is required. The pain and guilt you may suffer will only be outweighed by the pride, admiration and love you will feel.The potential dad must also realize that above all else, love, is the currency that is exchanged in this relationship with your child. Unconditional love given from child to dad make all of the above not only tolerable but joyous even at their worst.

The good news is, even if you didn’t think you could do it in the beginning, you can get better. Every day is a new chance to start over, to be a better dad, to forget about yesterday or better yet, to remember it.  If you’re a dad ask yourself, would you hire you?

This post is dedicated to to my dad on his 76th birthday- He was willing to do all of the above and has in turn showed me something that could never be paid for, how to be a good father. Thanks dad, you are an inspiration and a role model to anyone who has ever known you.

The legend, with my 3 kids

I’m back , no really, I am

Well, It’s been over a year since I last blogged and I have to say that a part of me feels like a failure for dropping the ball. I started this blog as a way to keepsake all the daily memories that raising a family creates. I let the website lapse and some scumbag swooped in and bought it up in the hopes that I would pay extra to get it back, well screw you whoever you are. That being said, I was able to recover most of the blog but my last 6 post are gone forever I think.

I guess I would like to think that I have an excuse for not blogging. Since i last posted we have had our third child, a boy! So that makes 3 kiddos that are 3 years old or under and to top it off I was also  promoted at work , but to me that’s the easy way to justify not following through on my promise to document our parenting journey.

In blogging as in life there are second chances, fresh starts and all that crap, so I am going to give it another shot and make the time to do this again. I found it so liberating and therapeutic before, maybe it will be a good stress reliever.

I can’t wait to put my thoughts out there in cyberspace again, even if no one listens, it feels good to write it..