Parenting Toddlers

These are the loves of my life: Peanut, the Little Guy, and their father, who had just carried the Little Guy (who weighs about 23 pounds) up a mountain. If you think that’s not a workout, try carrying five bags of flour up a hill. Tough guy!

It’s almost Father’s Day, and I don’t have anything for anyone! It kind of snuck up on me. I have to get the grandpas taken care of, and of course, the father of my children. I made him a special pre-Father’s Day Dinner (and I don’t usually cook at all - it was yummy!), he’s got some books from Amazon coming, and we’re going to breakfast with his father. So I think we’re good. But I’d like to take a minute and talk about dads. To all the wonderful fathers out there, I think your job is so important.

I look at my children and their father, and I’m thrilled at how much they all love each other. I was never very close with my father, so the fact that they have this great relationship makes me very very happy. Peanut is totally a miniature of her daddy. She loves to go fishing with him, go on picnics, and just hang out. She loves him so much that she even watches Survivor Man with him. It’s the cutest thing to see a little three year old girl say she wants to watch “Vivor Man” with her daddy. So they watch some, talk about the different things they see, and then camp out in the living room about once a week. She loves it. The Little Guy has been saying, “Da da” a lot lately, and my partner always lights up when he does this. When he comes home from work, the kids rush to him. Even the baby! It’s very sweet.

So, on this Father’s Day, I’d just like to tell all the great dads out there that you mean the world to your children and they love spending time with you, whether it’s playing outside, going camping, or watching the same old episodes of Vivor Man time after time and learning about things from you. It’s such an important relationship for both boys and girls. And if you are a single dad, double kudos to you. And, while we’re at it, if you’re a single mom doing the role of dad too, Happy Father’s Day to you too. You deserve a whole other day for kudos.

Happy Father’s Day for all you involved, active, and loving dads!

And for the rest of us who have not made Dad a card yet, here is a link to my very favorite site. FamilyFun.com has a ton of great ideas for every occasion, including some printable Father’s Day cards for the rushed among us!