Happy Father's Day

In honor of Father's Day today I thought I'd give a big shout out to Tony who has been the most amazing dad to Noah. I had always known he was a family person and great with kids but you never know what every day life as a family will be like until it happens. Here are some of the reasons why Tony is such a great dad to Noah. 

photos by www.taylorandersonphoto.com 

They laugh, sing, read, and play together. It sounds so basic but I love watching the two of them be happy, cuddly, and silly together. I love that Tony reads as many stories to Noah as he wants to hear before going to sleep even though he's not much of a bookworm himself. I love when he has the most serious conversation with Noah about what happened during the day or what we have planned for the weekend. I love that he is not afraid to sign songs even though his musical talent is...well...let's just say it's probably a good thing they do it in the comfort of our own home only. And I love it when they are goofy together and giggle and laugh, which happens all the time at our house. 

He treats him like a little person. All the laughter and silliness doesn't mean Tony is just the fun dad who shows up to play. He lets Noah be himself, follows his lead, and lets him explore the world at his own pace. He listens to what Noah wants, encourages him to ask for things nicely, and engages in little mini conversations with him. He lets Noah be the little kid he is when it's fun and silly, but carefully sets boundaries when appropriate. I just love the balance between the silliness and the respectful seriousness of their relationship and the way they communicate. 

He takes care of at least 50% of all the fun and not so fun parenting duties. He's typically the one in charge of making Noah's lunch for day care, he drops him off every morning and often picks him up as well when I don't make it home in time, we share bath time and bedtime duties, he often makes dinner for us, etc. This even includes things like taking Noah to get his hair cut. I took Noah to get his haircut for the first time the other day and the ladies at the salon looked at me funny when I mentioned that this was my but not not Noah's first time as this was typically one of dad's duties. It sets such a great example for Noah - I'm so glad that Noah (and soon also his baby sister) is growing up in a family without the traditional family dynamics. Tony is such a fantastic role model for his son. 

He's often the default parent, which according to this article is the one responsible for the emotional, physical, and logistical needs of children. I would say we are pretty even when it comes to physical and logistical needs, but when in doubt, Tony is the default parent with regard to Noah's emotional needs. Many people have a difficult time wrapping their heads around the fact that dads (especially not stay at home dads) can indeed be the default parent. When I mention that Noah is a complete daddy's boy, it is often assumed that I'm referring to all the fun things dads typically do with their boys; that Noah must love all the playtime with his dad but that surely, when he is sad or sick or tired, he wants his mommy. Not true. He always prefers Tony especially in those situations. I want to say this has always been the case since he was a little baby, but I can't say how much Tony was just forced into the role by Noah's needs or how much is simply due to Tony being available on all levels. Does it hurt my feelings when I can't calm Noah down when he's upset and he clearly let's me know that all he wants is his daddy? Sometimes, yes, but in the big picture I love what that represents in terms of their relationship to each other. 

Thank you Tony for everything you do for us and Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there!