The "Daddy-Mama"

I read a statistic this week that the average American dad spends 6.5 hours per week with his kids. The poster that contained this statistic was actually touting that average as an improvement over the average time dads spent with their kids 30 years ago (2.6 hours per week). The average surprised me a little bit, so I decide to conduct a rough calculation to determine how much time my husband spent with his kids each week. As it turns out my husband, while it varies slightly from week to week, spends no less than 30 hours with his kids (at least 20 hours of which are solo). Sure, he parents a little differently than I do (the kids enjoy a little more quality time with the t.v. when Daddy's in charge), and that's okay. He's there for his kids and they know that 1) he loves them; 2) he will always protect them; and 3) he expects their respect. And that's really all that matters.

We used to laugh that as a toddler our middle child referred to my husband as "Daddy-mama." In a big way it attested to the significant role he played in his life. The line between "daddy" and "mama" was blurred. He looked at both of us as a seamless unit.

So here's to the dads that surpass even the "modern" dad statistics. You all rock! (And here's to the dads that are working their tails off outside the home and may not get nearly as much time as they would like with their families. You all rock too!)

And here's to the Daddy in our house. The daddy that make three little faces positively light up every morning when he walks in the door. The daddy that gathers all three kids and a giant diaper bag to head to the library when the weather's too cold to play outside. The daddy that weekly sacrifices sleep because he can't bear to miss a single school program, or pediatric appointment, or family picnic. We could never thank you enough.