Dads play differently. When I watch my husband
interact with our kids, I notice one major difference, how
they play together. My husband will often hide and when
the kids start looking for him, he will jump out and scare
them. He fills water balloons for an hour to have a water
fight that lasts five minutes. He spends time building Legos
and helping the kids learn how to follow the instructions.
He wrestles with, laughs with, and good-naturedly teases
the kids. They love it. Most of these things I would rarely do,
some I would avoid if possible. Dads have a way of bringing
silliness and fun into our kids lives, usually in the form of
a game. The kids love it, the dads love it, and it strengthens
the bond between them.
Dads are more flexible. This may not apply to all dads
but many are a little more flexible than moms. When I was
a little girl my mom had a weekly night out with her friends
and my dad was in charge. This often meant fried egg and
ketchup sandwiches and staying up late watching TV. I
remember one day dad let us have ice cream for dinner. We
walked to the ice cream shop and my brother and I ordered
bubble gum ice cream cones. By the time we had walked
home, we were covered in a sticky mess. Instead of a bath
dad sprayed us down with a hose, took us inside and changed
us right into our pajamas and called it a night. We all laughed
the whole time, including my dad, and I remember thinking
how mom would never have allowed that. The next night we
went back to our normal routine but those little moments
of silliness and flexibility taught me that sometimes it’s
okay to set aside the rules and routine and have fun.
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