I've always been comfortable with the fact that for the first several years our children preferred the company and attention of my wife over me. I was particularly comfortable with this between the hours of midnight and 6am. My wife and I are very "new generation", share-the-load, equal parental responsibility types, but our work/school schedules had her at home more during awake time, and after all, she is MOM. Dad is cool and fun, but let's face it: if Dad had to do what Mom had to do to bring you into this world...well, Our first son might be here, but he'd be an only child. Dad also lacks the ability to make food come out of his body, keep calm when you've broken every egg in the refrigerator on the floor, or remember what the current I-must-have-this-object-with-me-at-all-times-or-my-life-will-end happens to be from day to day.
Nevertheless, I've been really enjoying my increased status as the boys get older, and they start looking to me to see what being a man is all about. Both boys want to come with me to work, help out with whatever project I'm doing around the house, and will often choose me over Rebecca for books, music, or other fun stuff. One night a couple of weeks ago, I was putting both boys to bed while Beck was at school, a process which involves fresh jammies, toothbrushes, soap, water, books, and two long doses of cuddles, one for each boy. (For a while, I entertained the idea of weaning them off the cuddles, just to shorten the bed-time ritual, but then it occurred to me that on my deathbed, I'm certainly not going to wish I'd cuddled my kids LESS.) We had enjoyed a really wonderful dad-and-boys evening: more videos than mom approves of, lots of laughs, and a minimum of sibling-on-sibling violence.
When it's Jack's turn for his cuddle, he curls himself up in the space between my chin and my waist, and whispers softly into my chest.
"Daddy. I have a favorite parent."
"Oh, yeah?", I say, a faint smile playing across my lips above his little head. "Who?"
'Mommy."
I love this so much. I had read it before but had to read it again - hilarious.
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