4 Things my Husband Accidentally Taught me About Parenthood

0

lessons from dadMy husband and I are opposites in many ways: he is a morning person, I’m a night person; he makes decisions quickly without looking back, I over-analyze and then second guess my choice; he is adventurous and spontaneous, I prefer to know what the future holds.

Somehow we manage to agree on most things parenting, but as my opposite, he surprises me with little nuggets of wisdom.

Here are 4 things my husband has accidentally taught me about parenting just by being himself:

Chill out

My husband is chill to the bones about all things parenting (other than spills, he doesn’t like spills).

Bedtime not going as planned? He’s chill.

Kids want to have horsey rides instead of eating their breakfast? He’s calm.

He never shouts “No! We don’t have time for that! Eat your breakfast!” 

Here is how he responds: “Sure, honey. Let’s make a plan. First, we’ll do two horsey rides. Then we’ll eat the rest of our breakfast and get dressed. If you do that quickly, we can do one more horsey ride.”

They love his chill plans, and they’re shockingly effective. 

Be a kid again

Horsey rides. Do you like to give horsey rides? Do you like to build forts? I don’t mind the horsey rides, but I usually feel like there is something else I should be doing, and it makes them less enjoyable.

My husband is good at being in the moment and playing with our kids.

He is not phased by disorder or mess (except for liquid mess, see reference to spills above), so building forts that span the entire living room does not mess with his equilibrium. And our kids love him for it. I love him for it. When I do shut my brain off long enough to be in the moment and play with them, I am so thankful for the time to be silly, hear their laughs, and know they genuinely cherish the attention.

living room fortTake time for yourself

Do you have a hobby? I’m not talking a one-blog-post-a-month-for-a-moms-blog type of hobby. I’m talking an eight weekends-a-year and one-full-week-of-the-fall kind of hobby. COUGH. Hunting.

I can’t say I have a hobby, other than doing a monthly blog post for you guys. And I feel a little twinge of jealousy when my husband gets ready for his hunting weekends and his annual trip to the mountains. He really enjoys himself; he bonds with his friends; he gets away from the busy life of owning his own business. And though I haven’t yet perfected the art of taking time for myself, he’s taught me that it’s ok to long for and appreciate an activity that is just for you. 

Rest

Remember when I said my husband is a morning person? Well, it may have something to do with the fact that he is rarely awake past 8:30 p.m. He might be asleep in his chair, but the guy does not deny his body the rest it needs. He also takes time to rest on the weekends–Sunday afternoon naps are a favorite. When I follow his lead and forget the to-do list, I feel recharged and happier than before. 

My husband is pure gold, I’m telling you. When we were 22 and newly married, I couldn’t have imagined how he would grow into the husband and father he is today. I was pretty busy throwing plastic plates at his head, but that is a blog post for another day. No marriage is perfect, but I’m so thankful for my mate and the ways he purposely and accidentally shows his great big love for me and our girls, just by being himself.

Happy Father’s Day, Dereck!

And a happy Father’s Day to all the other accidentally wise dads out there!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here