Why we should leave Dad alone with the kids

Guys as parents often get a bad rap. There are tons of memes on the internet with some admittedly pretty hilarious photos describing why fathers aren't as responsible a parenting choice as mothers. I believe that, instead, men are different than women. *Gasp!* But despite the fact that dads are more likely to hang their children upside down by a leg occasionally, that doesn't mean that they're bad parents. Just see things a bit differently.  Is there anything wrong with a different parenting style? So in honor of my husband who is a fantastic father, his dad, my own father, and all of our wonderful grandfathers, here's a post on why you SHOULD leave your kids with good old dad!

1. They show up. When it's not convenient. When the occasion is big or little. When they're not feeling well. When they have something else to do. They come and support. (And a big shout-out to Nana, who is in the middle of radiation treatment at the time of this picture and she still made it out to the kindergarten graduation.)

2. They support all the school endeavors.

3. They're always ready to go fishing with their kids, even when the "kids" are grown.

 Toblerone!

4. They bring chocolate.

5. Dad then shares the chocolate.

6. He's always a shoulder to lean, or sleep, on

Proud daddy and baby's first steps

7. He's there to help you with your first of anything, steps, baseball, reading, etc.

8. He even shares his ice cream

9. He loves holding you even when Mommy goes a bit overboard in the dressing department.

Boating with baby can be a handful

10. He includes his kids in his favorite activities even when they're little and it would be easier to go alone or with a buddy.

11. He teaches them the value of hard work. And how to work with their hands.

Quirkle!

12. Dad plays games with the kiddos.

13. He teaches them how to let their hair down. :)

14. He untangles fishing line. Again. And. Again. 

Camoflauge Christmas Bells and Valentine's Day... Airplanes?

Having brothers was one of the best preparations for having sons. My mom still tells a story from when my oldest brother was in the neighborhood of fourth or fifth grade. (Keep in mind that this was in the 1980's, during the heyday of G.I. Joe action toys.) Apparently one day in Sunday school, the teacher thought that it would be a great idea to help the boys make a Christmas present for their mothers. Good idea, right? The boys were provided with those little wooden shape that you can purchase at Michael's or Hobby Lobby, paints, and brushes. The boys were allowed to choose between shapes of Christmas wreaths or bells, paint them as desired, and string a ribbon on them to make an ornament. I don't think she even bothered with glitter or anything, knowing that young boys would refuse such "girly" ideas... At the end of the session more than one boy proudly presented their mother with a Christmas bell ornament--painted camouflage style, so the ornaments could "hide" in the trees! Just what every Mom wants, right? :)

Valentine's Day rolled around this year and I was excited about the idea of making cookies with Ryan. He loves to cook and help. I also thought it would be a fun idea to make cookies as valentine's gifts for grandparents and aunts. Perhaps I should have remembered the whole camouflage Christmas bells a little more clearly...
Not having a sugar cookie recipe that I'm pleased with and not having time to look around for another one, I simply bought a log of pre-made sugar cookie dough. Ryan was so excited to help me and bounced with excitement as I pulled out the stepladder for him. We opened the box with cookie cutters in it and I started to reach for the heart shaped ones. One thought that crossed my mind was to grab the hand-shaped cookie cutter and use the idea of hand-shaped sugar cookies made my Ryan's little hands. But it was not to be. Ryan picked that shape up, unceremoniously tossed it back into the box, and grabbed the airplane and dinosaur shapes! With a little pleading I managed to retain a few heart shapes.

So I had anticipated a lovely, mommy and son bonding time of making red valentine's day cookies. What I ended up with was a loud, raucous, messy, thrilling experience full of giggling and laughing making blue airplanes, green dinosaurs, and a few pink hearts. And it was even more fun than I had originally planned on. And you know what? The grandparents certainly didn't care whether they had a heart or an airplane. The cookies were so yummy that they didn't stay around long enough for me to take a picture.