Hello all! I have quite a surprise for you to day! I am so excited to share with you my friend, Dayna, from Lemon Lime Adventures.
She is a homeschooling Mama with two boys and a baby girl. Her blog is about the trials and errors of their life, life living as a blended family, and dealing with a son with Sensory Processing Disorder. She is super creative and so knowledgeable. I hope that you enjoy reading her words. You can find Dayna rockin it over on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and G+!
It’s all yours Dayna!
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Many times I find that parenting articles are written about moms, by moms, and in support of moms. But what about Dad? Where does he fit into the equation? What part of the story does he get to tell? Often time, we forget to give them their own chapter and recognize them for the super powers they possess. I feel completely honored to be able to write to you today, as a guest on Dirt and Boogers, about why I think I married Super Dad. (and I think you might have, too)
I was really struggling with what to write about for my guest post today. At Lemon Lime Adventures, I write about homeschooling, sensory processing, and natural living. While I am able to think of a post on any one of those topics, I wanted something better fitting for you loyal readers of Amanda.
Then this morning I realized I have a fantastic story to tell.
I Think I Married Super Dad
I know, I know, you are probably thinking… Yeah Right. What is so special about your husband that you think you married Super Dad? That is just it. You know how Clark Kent, is just a normal guy, doing normal guy things… and then he transforms into something magical… well, that is what happens at my house. And I would venture to say it probably happens at yours too.
This morning was no exception. The boys wanted pancakes, and asked Papa Bear to make them but they wanted to help. His immediate reaction was
“No, I don’t do that. Mom does the “everyone cook together” thing.”
He’s right. I cook with the kids all the time. I have specific strategies for making it fun and educational.
But in his words he just can’t handle the mess, the arguing, and everyone squeezed into one square foot of the kitchen.
After a quick suggestion to move things to the table, he transformed. He set up an experience and stepped out of his comfort zone. Not only did he make pancakes with the boys, he did it in a way they would never have experienced with me.
He started the morning as Clark Kent, went into the phone booth (our tag teamed pow-wow) and came out as Super Dad.
5 Signs of a Super Dad
He Cooks
According to one dad, mom’s do it better. I disagree. Take today as a great example. Papa Bear set up a mommy-blog’s dream. Complete with step by step instructions and cute little pre-prepped cups with each ingredient. He engaged the boys in thought provoking questions, strengthened their vocabulary and even did an experiment when the recipe wasn’t just right… see Super Dad!
He Cleans
You see as I write this, he is dusting, vacuuming, and folding the cloth diapers. He is tidying up the house and letting me have some time to “work”. This week I made a cleaning schedule and he is helping us stay on track. I love that he helps me stay on top of housework, but even more, I love that my children are learning from him how to help around the house and the importance of working together. This is just yet another example of how he started the week as just a regular guy, we had a tag-teamed pow-wow and out came Super Dad.
He Wears the Baby
We are a baby-wearing family. We have a sling and an Ergo. My husband LOVES slapping on the sling and putting Super B in. Whether its making dinner, vacuuming, or on a field trip to the zoo, my boys are seeing Super Dad as an example of a loving father that shares all of the roles. I am certain this is going to help them develop into loving, caring fathers when they grow up.
He Reads to the Kids
I love reading. My children love reading. My husband loves reading. As a public school teacher, I was known for having a plethora of books (I think my library was over 4,000 at some point). One little tidbit about me though is that I am not a reader. I love the idea of reading but I just don’t do it, so when the boys want to read Harry Potter or other long books, Papa Bear is my guy. He steps in and fills in where I fall short. He saves the day, time and time again.
He Changes the Diapers
Its been shown in advertisements, on tv shows and in the books… Dad’s can’t change diapers. This is just the sort-of gender stereotype that keeps many a dad from reaching their full Super Dad potential. My husband will happily (okay not happily, but I am not happy about that either) change a diaper. In fact, we cloth diaper in this house, and he not only changes them, but he washes them, organizes them and packs the diaper bag. Not to mention he is not afraid to carry my beautiful purple diaper bag.
You see, in my house, we try very hard to avoid gender stereotypes. In fact, Legoman used to fight over the princess dresses in preschool and Bones would choose a baby doll and anything purple when given a box of toys 9 out of 10 times. That doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. It only took about 5 minutes of research and I was able to find several examples of stereotypes placed on dads around the world.
After writing this post and researching other Super Dads, I’ve come to the conclusion that I did, in fact marry Super Dad. Not because he does things that are stereotypically reserved for moms, but because just like Clark Kent, he is a normal Dad. He loves his children, he respects them , and takes care of them. And then, in the blink of an eye, he reminds me of just how SUPER and just how AWESOME he is. He steps in where I need him. He puts his family first. He models a loving relationship to our children.
Every little kid looks up to Super Man and every child in my family looks up to our Super Dad!
Have you married a Super Dad?Of course you have! What makes your partner a Super Dad? I would love to hear!
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Thanks Dayna! If you loved what you read, you can follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google +, and of course on her blog, Lemon Lime Adventures.
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