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Last June I wrote a piece for Pampers about my Journey to becoming a dad. This time around it is all about what I am thankful for most as a dad. That being said, I’m thankful for something that seems simple but can be very challenging. That is, I am thankful for the best name ever, Dad. Ever since I was a kid myself I knew I wanted to be a dad. I knew that I wanted to be married and have kids and be the best dad to them that I could be. I never knew that It would be as incredible as it has been.
What better weekend could there be to reflect on why I am thankful for the name dad. There is nothing like having your kids get excited because Dad his home from work. There is nothing that melts my heart more than my son and daughter asking for one more hug from dad. Then there are those moments where I get a “Dad!” and an eye-roll, which also makes me laugh because I’ve done something that has gotten under their skin. There is also the “Daaaaad.” When I’ve said or something a bit too silly. There is even the sharp “Dad!” from my daughter when I may or may not have said something that has mortified or shocked her. I am so thankful for the name ‘Dad’. Even in those times when it gets overused for everything that my kids need me to do. The million questions, ideas and thoughts that have to be prefaced with “dad,” before anything else is said. Yes, I’m thankful even in those moments.
Let’s be honest, when a baby is born, so is a Dad. That is the message that Pampers wants to get out there. Pampers celebrates that incredible feeling little ones bring to the hearts of dads through unconditional love. I know that for me, when I first held my kids I felt an immediate bond with their little lives. What I always wanted to be was happening. I fell in love with my kids more each day and when I think, “I can’t possibly love them any more,” then they go and do something like call me Daddy for the first time. Well those moments just make me feel exceptionally special and empowered to discover new roles in my life through fatherhood.
Let’s talk about each of the kids and what things have been like in the past year. With Eva it has been a very emotional year and will likely become even more emotional as she starts hitting her tween and teen years. At the beginning of the year Eva tried out for a play and did not get a speaking role. This completely devastated her, especially when one of her friends got a role. Eva felt that she worked really hard and couldn’t believe that she hadn’t gotten a role. I knew that in my own life I was uniquely qualified to talk to her about this because of the disappointments I had in theater growing up. I tend to over-talk with Eva. Share too much but at least she knows that I’ve been there and understand what she is going through. She knows that she can come to me with anything and I will help her even if that means for me to stand aside so she can get advice from Allison. Eva and I have bonded over our mutual love for books, television shows and creating video. Working with me on a video is still a treat for her and I can always count on her to nail her lines if she has them or speak eloquently and from the hear when that is the type of video we are making.
This year was a big year for Andrew and I. This year Andrew went to school five days a week. I took him to and from school every day. This may seem mundane and easy unless you consider that I work weekend nights. This meant that from the moment Andrew woke up on Friday (usually before 6am) until I returned home Saturday morning I was awake. This also meant that after being at work on a 12 hours overnight shift from Sunday into Monday I would come home, remain awake until I took Andrew to school then rush back home to steal no more than 2 1/2 hours of sleep before I had to pick him up again. I may be a walking zombie 75% of the time but I got to spend whatever time I could with him. All of this time together has helped us grow and appreciate each other.
I’m not going to lie, my relationship with Andrew early on was strained. Eva was always so easy going but Andrew fought everything. As he has gotten older I see him for the curious, sweet, sassy, happy and energetic little boy that he is. I watched him with all of his friends as I picked him up every day. He wanted nothing more than to give each of them a hug before they went home. When we arrived each morning he would do a silly little dance to make them laugh. This made things so hard to take when I learned that he was upset by something that had happened at school. Each child make a little memory book about their time in Kindergarten. One item in the book was to draw their best friend. He learned that no one had drawn his picture. This made him very sad. What I was thankful for was the fact that he was able to talk to me about it and express his feelings. Without our time together I don’t think that would have happened.
A few more things that I am thankful for. I am thankful for my kids love of playing video games with me. Andrew has loved playing ARMS because he can beat me from time to time. I’m not even going easy on him.
I’m thankful for the kids so that we can go to fun places to eat like those places where they have pizza and video games. It gives me a great excuse to go.
I’m thankful that my kids want to go to events with me like Free Comic Book Day. Seeing them enjoy the things that I enjoy is another wonderful part of being a dad.
Tonight at 8pm EST there will be a Twitter Party with Pampers and Life of Dad. You can come and talk with other dad on the night before Father’s Day to talk about why you are thankful to your babies for making you a dad.
Pampers has released a new #ThanksBaby video that captures the amazing relationship that is created between a dad and his baby when a baby is born and the beautiful journey of fatherhood begins.
Visit www.pampers.com to learn more about Pampers products, join the Pampers Rewards program, and find ideas and information to help your baby get the most out of love, sleep and play.
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