My son is going through an interesting phase. Actually, he's been going through this phase for months now, but his vocabulary has finally caught up with him and he's now able to articulate this phase, much to my dismay.
"Momma do et!" he proclaims, pretty much whenever I'm trying to help him. Tying his shoes. Changing his diaper. Reading him a book. Getting him more milk while we're having dinner. Giving him his nightly beating. Whatever the task, his dad is no longer allowed to help. It's all up to momma now and failure to adhere to this new set of rules results in a strange sort of squirming fit that might catch on as a dance in future years, but now just looks like a seizure.
I've been an "involved dad" since the beginning. When Chunk was born, I took a month off to stay home with him and Denver Mom, as we slowly started creating a new life as a family, instead of just a couple. I've been working from home with him since then, so I get five full days of Chunk time a week, minimum, if you include the weekends. It's not like I haven't had the time needed to prove that I'm not a complete novice at this whole parenthood thing. I mean, it took him months before he started calling me "daddy." Before that, I was "momma," just like Denver Mom. But, now? Regardless of my skills, or regardless of my lack of skills, which I assume is at least entertaining, I can't do a thing for the child.
I'm conflicted. If I were smart, I would just go along with it, letting my wife do everything for our son. Getting him dressed and ready to go outside takes approximately four days, an act of congress, and prayers from many prominent clerics, pastors, and cardinals. Sadly, although I'm prone to exaggeration, in this particular case, I'm not exaggerating. It really does take that long, so I should just get back to my napping and let Denver Mom take care of everything.
And yet, on the other hand, I still want to be involved. Whether he wants my help or not, I want to provide it. When he falls, I want to scoop him up in my arms.
Someone told me that once he's four, it'll all shift back to me. At that point, he'll be a daddy's boy. I'm pretty sure that's going to be kind of annoying too.
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6 comments:
No idea as I have a girl. But, Liv went through this phase when she just loved being around men when she was four, so this might have some validity.
She doesn't get much testosterone in this house, but she likes our male friends a lot.
I think you should keep up with the beatings to avoid future annoyance. I'll do the same for my son if he hits this phase... say, is that a social worker at the door?
P-man
Interesting :) I actually didn't know that. So will keep that in mind in case one day we'll be lucky enough to have a kid :)
My girls seem to go back and forth all the time. I hate it when they want nothing to do with me.
Yes, P-man...this is a social worker at the door!
Parenting note: my son is at the "momma do et" phase as well. He doesn't verbalize that, but it's all mommy, all the time!
(unless of course Daddy has ice cream or offers to take him outside.)
I keep assuring my husband that pretty soon, he'll be following him around & wanting to be "just like daddy!"
Hang in there!
Did I say "beatings?" I meant, ahh... "meetings." Yeah, every night Chunk and I have a meeting where we discuss our feelings, share, and hug. :)
The thing is, when it's just he and I, we're best buddies. The problem is when you add momma to the mix... that's when everything falls apart.
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