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I have just about the best Dad that there is ~ he helps us constantly. He is always there when I need him, and he always has been.

He is very helpful, too!  He helped to build our screened in porch, our DIY murphy bed and he even made this cupcake tower for my baby shower.  Plus, he can fix just about any car problem there is!
If something is bothering me, I can call him up in a second (and trust me- he always answers his phone!)  Plus, he & my husband (another fantastic Dad!) are really good friends!

My husband is such a great dad, too!  He is really the perfect Dad for our four kids and the best husband.  Today I asked my husband what he likes to hear, as a Dad & what things he hears that drive him crazy… so I’m sharing those with you today.
3 things dads want to hear (& 3 things to never say!)

 

1.  The first isn’t what you say- its what you are thinking.  He doesn’t like when he takes the kids out to teach them something (like taking them to a car dealership) and people give him looks like “What are kids doing here?”  He likes to try to take them to do fun things, but those looks deter him.   He feels like he is causing a commotion, even when the kids are good.  The fact is, they are kids.  They like to touch things and they want to look at everything.   They want to ask questions and be inquisitive.   
My Dad also takes our kids to do fun things (they love to go to the car dealership with him, and even to the dump!  They love when Pap takes them for a ride in his truck or in his mustang.)
So~ pass it on… don’t look at them like they are crazy for having the kids out.  They are teaching these kids important life lessons:  “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

2- Are you babysitting the kids today?
This one drives my Mom & myself crazy, too!  Dads do not babysit their own kids.  They are YOUR kids. 


3- You have your hands full today.
My husband laughs and he reminds them that it is not JUST today, this is his daily life and he ENJOYS it.  It isn’t like this is a special day, because today he has our kids with him.  He likes being with them and we enjoy family time.  He takes them to the ‘tool store’ (as the kids call it) or to look at cars, just like I take them to the grocery store or to a playground.  He said “I think anytime that I can be with our kids is a good day.  I like spending time together and spending one on one time with them.”
ps- to see why I like hearing you have your hands full, read this post

strawberry picking

Now a few things that you SHOULD say to dad:

1- I appreciate you! 
Everyone wants to hear that they are appreciated.   They want to know that they are important (just like we like to hear that we are appreciated).

2-  You are a great Dad.
It is the reassurance that everyone wants to hear.  My husband said that he likes hearing this because everyone tells the Moms how great they are with the kids and the majority of the credit for raising kids goes to Moms.  In reality, Dads play an equal part in it (& there are SO many studies to prove it!)

3-  (When strangers say) “Its nice to see a Dad with their kids.” 
He said that he likes hearing this because he knows that it is so true.  Kids need a Dad- a positive male role model in their lives.   He loved when my grandma would say this to him (she was always telling him how wonderful he was… she did the same thing to my Dad & to my ‘Pappap’.)
My husband said that a father, today, is no longer just a provider, they are involved.  They are Dads that help, and enjoy spending time with their children.   He said “I wanted our four kids as much as you do, but often people just assume that the Dad’s are just going along for the ride.  That’s not the case anymore.  Its not the woman’s role to raise kids- it is the parent’s role, together.”

So, today… tell your Dad or husband thank you, for being the great Dad that they are to you or to your kids.  I am surrounded by wonderful Dads and I couldn’t be happier!

Now a few pictures of the kids with my husband, my dad and my husband’s dad…

boating 4sav 3

christmasgraduationdad boatingigloo fun!

Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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