Daddy Does It

Monday, Funday! Listicle time over at the Good Life, and who am I to skip a party?

This week the Dame de Listicles Stasha gave the pleasure of topic choosing to her better half, AKA Mr. Stasha errr...Mr. Good Life, or perhaps, the North West Daddy would be a good pseudonym. Anyway, it was he who suggested this week's topic:

10 Things Husbands Should Do

This list could not come at a better time over here in the Land of  'Zilla. Bry has been having some daddy issues. Not issues regarding his own father, but rather his worries as a parent. For some ungodly reason he has been having some doubts. I'd love to say it's because I am the rock star of all parents and that's what's given him a complex, but alas, that would be a lie. I do believe it has more to do with the time constraints his job places on his ability to hang out with our cherubs during waking hours. He wants to be with them more, and hates that he can't. Even though work keeps him from the girls, there is an absolute: 

He is a great father, PERIOD. 

And so, I'm changing it up a bit, my list is dedicated to: 

10 Things Bry Does That Make Him an Awesome Husband

1. He Tells me I'm Beautiful. 

It's the end of the day. The girls are in bed, I'm washing the last of the dishes in the sink, in an old t-shirt and pair of mesh shorts, when he'll come close, wrap his arms around me, and tell me how beautiful am I.

2. He Loves to Cook

I'm not talking burgers and hot dogs on the grill, or toast in the toaster. 

The man can cook. 

Steak with homemade Diane sauce and vegetable succotash was dinner Saturday evening. I swear if you give him a few cans, salt & pepper, and freezer stash, he'd pull a McGuyver, and have a three course meal in a little over an hour. 

3. He Chooses Us. 

He has opportunities to dine out, get drinks, and attend various functions that typical adults enjoy attending. He's had invites to sporting events and concerts, but at the end of the day, he passes. On most occasions, given the choice between a Jack & Coke or the three of us waiting at home, he'll chose us. 

4. He Works so I Don't Have To.

Yes, I stay at home with the girls, and to some this can be described as a job. But at the end of the day, regardless of the crap that ensues in the confines of these walls, I don't get a paycheck. Without him working his tail feather off, day in and out, I wouldn't have the luxury of play dough at two in the afternoon, or Wednesday morning trips to the Philadelphia Zoo. 

5. He's Not Scared of Vomit

I am. I gag. I can't deal. 

He has no problem with that. 

6. He Goes Out of His Way to Get me Things He Knows I Like

So maybe most of these are food, i.e. Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes, or chocolate chip cookies, but he really knows what I like. He'll be out picking up a few things and just because, I'll find a new type of tea, or bouquet of flowers on the counter. 

7. He Likes the Same Things As Me

The beach, our house, dining out, reading, Phillies & Union games, our girls,

these all are favorites of both of us. 

Now, if I can just get him to exercise.

8. He Knows His Boundaries

He is smart.

Smart enough to know that even though he is intelligent, reading the manual alone does not make him a competent electrician or plumber. He finds no guilt in contracting out tasks which he has no experience, and back to the manual. Before he puts things together, he reads it cover to cover. 

9. He Plays. 

I have seen a lot of parents consumed with technology or conversations with other parents when out with their children. 

Bryan never does this.
His full attention is focused on Mo & Maeve. Be it swimming in the ocean, playing tee-ball in the backyard, or a visit to the zoo, he is fully present in the moment. His phone is safely stashed in his pocket, and his attention is where it should be, with them. 

10. He Has Real Expectations

He has told me on numerous occasions that he could never do what I do. While stay at home fatherhood is a task he jokes he would love to have, he has confessed it's much too hard for him. After a few hours alone with the girls, he is done. Upon my return, often he gives me permission to return to work. Asking how I do it day in and out, because frankly, he doesn't know how I deal.

This enlightenment has given him real expectations as to what may and may not occur day to day at home. Rarely will he expect dinner on the table, a clean house, made beds, and laundry folded while children quietly play at my feet. In the instance they do occur, he is quick to throw me some accolades. That makes a good daddy & hubby. 

Does your husband do something that makes him awesome? 

Feel free to brag.