Father's Day

About 10 years ago I stopped loading the dishwasher at my parent’s house. While yes I am completely capable of putting things in the dishwasher and I know it drives my parents crazy when I just stack my things in the sink or on the counter I had to take a stand. I know it sounds silly but you have to understand while I love my mother dearly no one and I mean no one can load the dishwasher to her liking.  After years or her coming behind and rearranging everything I had loaded or complaining about things not fitting correctly I gave up. Sorry mommy, the truth is out. I love you but will not live under your dishwasher ternary any longer.

While my mother is currently fuming and getting mad at me the rest of you might be wondering what this has to do with father’s day. Well, a lot. Our children are our dishwashers and our husbands are just trying to help out.

I have been on both sides of the “my husband can’t do: the laundry right, buckle the kids in right, give the kids bath right, get the kids to nap right, put them down at night, understand our family schedule…..and on and on and on” conversions over my 2.5 years of mommy hood. I started realizing that we as mommies ride the daddies pretty hard, and sometimes I am leading the pack. To be honest though my husband does a great job with the girls, it is just not the way I would do it. When I realized that I would never get to leave the house is when I decided that the Daddy way would be just fine and I think the empowerment he felt by my trust was also much needed in our world of “Mother knows best”.

When daddy is running the show things are a little different, the outfits and hair are interesting, food choices unique, and the diaper bag seems optional. All very different then a mommy day but the girls are loved and well cared for despite how disheveled they might look. Heck my husband and his friend even feed the girls lobster on a weekend I was away (keep in mind we did not know at the time if they had a shell fish allergy but all turned out well) he has never made me lobster!

So in light of Father’s Day give dad a little break and remember if we never let him do it, he will never do it. And, as much as it pains me to say, understand that we as mommies are not always right. Our Daddies love our kiddos and only want whats best for them even when it is not how we would do it.

On a side note my husband talked me into loading the dishwasher at my parent’s house on a recent visit with him. The next morning when my mother went to un-load the dishes she complained that it hadn’t been loaded right and the dishes were all dirty and needed to be rewashed. My strike will start for another 10 years I guess.

Like mother, like daughter though – guess who complains and reloads the dishwasher after her husband loads it, ME! Good thing he is not as reactionary as I am or the kitchen would be a lonely place each night.

Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there!

Hanging out with Daddy, doing what Daddy does.

Daddy hair day while mommy was a away.