It’s a Girl!: Reflections from a Father of Daughters

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Father’s Day is coming up, and the dads are taking over! Stay tuned all week as we hear from several awesome local dads, and be blessed by these glimpses into the mind and heart of a father.

Des Moines Dads Blog


As I write this, it could be days, hours, or even minutes from the birth of my first son. With that in mind, I will take some time to reflect on what it is like to be a father of all girls – three, to be exact. We have Claire (5), the competitive one; Norah (almost 4), the crazy one; and Olivia (almost 2), the cuddly one. Can’t say I ever pictured myself having girls. I always saw myself with a large family, but for some reason I just assumed they would be boys.

Riker Family

Over the past seven years (Happy Anniversary, Bekah), there have been many things I have learned about the female creature. For example, they think it is hilarious when someone lets a good burp fly, or better yet, how should I say… break wind (we don’t encourage this behavior, but come on, you can laugh on the inside). I always thought these were the little things in life that only we guys could enjoy, but I was wrong.

Another thing I have discovered about girls is that they are not afraid to get dirty. I have gotten the opportunity to take the older two fishing on multiple occasions. Sure, a princess dress may be their fishing attire of choice, but that doesn’t stop them from grabbing a worm and baiting the hook. They even insist on helping me fillet the fish before cooking it up before dinner. (Note to all you young bucks out there: pretty boys need not apply for these blondies.)

fishing

I often thought how great it would be to share the same passion with my son about how great the Iowa State Cyclones are. Once again, all three of my girls have risen to the occasion and made their old man proud. Almost every night the last thing I hear as I leave the bedroom is, “Daddy… Go Cyclones!”

I am extremely looking forward to the arrival of my son, but I wouldn’t trade the three gifts I have been given for anything in this world. It is obvious that our Creator made us distinctly different, male and female. However, he did create us equal – equally awesome, that is!


Meet Guest Blogger Zeb Riker

Zeb Riker headshotZeb is the husband of DMMB’s co-founder, Bekah. They have three sweet girls and are due with their first son any day now. Zeb graduated with an Economics degree from the University of Northern Iowa. He is very involved in his church, First Family Church in Ankeny, and is honored to be a small group leader. Zeb owns a construction company, Dynasty Siding. His hobbies include basketball, fishing, and spending time with his family.

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