5 Things we love about you, Dads!

by Heidi Scrimgeour

We might never tell you this; but sometimes we go weak at the knees just watching you in action with the kids. From the way you mucked in (pun intended) with your fair share of newborn nappy duty to all the silly stuff you do to make the kids laugh, we appreciate you so much more than we might always let you know. So, in honour of upcoming Father’s Day,here are five reasons why we’re glad that you’re the Daddy…

Funny is an aphrodisiac, you know…
We love it when you lark around with the kids. Yes, we know it might not seem like that when we’re moaning at you for getting the kids all wound up right before bedtime yet again, but we’re secretly in awe of your capacity for fun. The kids adore you for it and yes, we admit it, it makes us feel sort of strange and gooey when we think about how you’re teaching our kids to laugh lots and enjoy life. Maybe you could teach us a thing or two about how you do it, sometime? Just please, not right before their bedtime…

My friend Tiffany’s husband has the silly stuff down to a fine art. “He sings and dances to all the songs from Frozen during family tea time,” she says proudly. “It’s like dinner theatre at our house every night.” Yep, that’s exactly what we’re talking about. Keep up the good work, Dads.
“I love the way the Dads I know are generally so good at being a big kid along with the kids,” agrees mother of two Sonja. “As Mums that fun stuff is something that we don’t always seem to have the time for. My daughter Annabelle even calls her dad her ‘play-area’!”

Daddy knows best (sometimes)
We admit it, as mums we don’t always make time to answer the kids’ questions or explain all the little things to them about the world that really interest them. So we love it when you take time out to get down on the children’s level with them. My friend Kate reckons her husband, Kenny, is the best dad in the world at this. “I love watching him share the pure joy of their innocence, and seeing him join in with their sense of wonder at the world,” she says. 

“I love it when my partner engages our girls in stuff that wouldn’t ever cross my mind,” says mum of two, Gemma. “Like science experiments in the shower, spotting the phase of the moon, and working out how stuff works.”

Being a great role model
All kids need role models, and there’s nothing quite as heart-warming for a mum as the knowledge that their kids have a father figure worth looking up to. We know you’re not perfect, but all the stuff you do to set an example to our kids really means the world to us. You might think you’re ‘just being a dad’ but we think you’re going the extra mile, and that matters.

My friend Rachel split from her little boy’s father and met her new partner when her son was just two. They’re now the best of friends, and she loves the wholehearted way her new hubby has taken on the step-dad role. “The best bit about their relationship is the unwavering support he shows my son; emotionally but also when it comes to discipline, plus being a role model and the all-important business of helping to keep him fed, clothed, warm and happy.”


Teaching the kids to gang up against Mum
Let’s get one thing straight, we are NEVER going to admit this to you in front of the kids, but you know those times when you roll your eyes in our direction with the kids, or gently encourage them to gang up with you against us? We might act exasperated but secretly? We love it. 

My friend Estelle has three kids, and points out that being a great dad isn’t always about a biological role. “My partner Shane is a wonderful stepdad, and regularly spends more quality time with my youngest than I do these days,” she says. “He’s the one tucking her in - which usually means larking around doing puppet shows with the soft toys - and they definitely get together to gang up on me sometimes. And yes, I love it. Sometimes the biological link can be much less important than the love and care that good dads lavish on their kids.”


Lightening the load
From pulling your weight with night feeds to taking the kids to the park so that we can go for a long, luxurious soak in the bath alone, we love you for all the ways you offer your support to us, as well.

Mum of two, Gail says her husband was a wonder when their kids were little. Not only did he regularly take their boys off on fishing trips or to the park to play football so that Gail could have a breather, but he showed “endless patience” with their kids too, she says. We might not always acknowledge that you’ve got those kind of qualities by the bucketload - which we might lack - but we do notice it, and we think you deserve more credit. 

But my friend Hazel, who has two little girls, reckons she’s married to the best dad in the world. When I quizzed her as to exactly what he gets right and how other fathers could seek to replicate his winning ways, she trotted out a list of things he does, from cooking for the kids and taking the trouble to notice what they really like to eat, to making them beds and swings from scratch and teaching them how the garden works.

“What’s funny is that it’s actually difficult to think of ALL the things he does that make him such a brilliant dad, because there are so many that I sort of take it for granted and think he’s just an ordinary dad,” she says. “But actually, that in itself speaks volumes and shows what an extraordinary father he is to our girls.”

Which got me thinking; the secret to being a brilliant Dad is never going to be a one-size-fits-all-formula. What makes you amazing is all the little things you do for our kids and to help nurture and protect our family. No-one else can do that better.