Disclaimer: This post was written based on my own experiences observing and living with dads and is no way indicative of all dads of the universe, though I have a feeling some of these traits ring true for many.
1). He has a higher creativity/silliness/wildness threshold: I’ll give myself some credit for coming up with learning games or turning a play activity into a learning game, but let’s be honest here, that doesn’t make me cool. Kids like to be silly and creative. My dad was the one who took my sister and me out just a little too far in the ocean. He was the one who dressed up in Halloween masks and jumped out behind doors to scare us. He was the one who bought a fondue set at a flea market and let us sit on the kitchen counter to use it. My husband is the one who created an obstacle course in the driveway with cones and car wash cleaning supplies. He’s the one who lets the boys ride his back like a bucking bronco.
2). He wipes his hands on his socks: One leg is slung across the knee while the hubs is eating some Nabs or a Snickers bar and before I know it, he’s wiping his hands on his socks. Often times, there’s a napkin sitting on the table but in lieu of the item actually made for wiping hands, dads often use the socks instead. Where do guys learn this? In the locker room? Summer camp? The bus on the way to a basketball game? Who knows, but it cracks me up and grosses me out at the same time.
3). He can fix stuff: You may be one of those moms who can fix everything around the house, but that is not me. I can change a basic AA battery in a toy that requires a classic screwdriver, but other than that, I’m not too handy. When I was a little girl, I always knew my dad could fix or change the batteries in anything. If he couldn’t truly fix it, he could at least rig it enough so that it worked for a while longer. Now my husband is the one who knows where all of the batteries are and which screwdriver or other random tool is needed for toys with a strange battery pack.
4). He’s strong enough to throw the kids: I’m not sure why, but children love to be thrown in the air. From babies squealing with delight to toddlers being thrown in the pool, kids love the free fall feeling of being tossed up super high. My husband and I make large children. Both of my boys were on the hefty side from the time they were born. I was simply not strong enough to throw them, but my husband was/is, and the boys love him for it. So whether into the or into the pool, flying children abound when dad’s around.
5). When he plays, he plays: Women are natural multi-taskers. Consider the days long ago when women had to focus on five or more children while at the same time making pottery and cooking dinner over a fire. Or think about another time when women worked on farms while managing a brood of children. Traditionally, men are required to focus on one thing at a time. Whether it’s hunting, farming, working, or parenting, men are awesome at focusing on one thing. Think about it. When moms “play”, we are also trying to cook, change a diaper, breastfeed, send a text to the baby-sitter or Grandma, fold laundry, or put away dishes. But when Dad plays, he truly plays. He ignores everything else, gets down and dirty, and straight-up plays. What kid wouldn’t love that?
I hope you and all the dads in your life have a wonderful Father’s Day!
I chuckled when I read this because in my house it’s totally the opposite. I am the handy one and my husband really can’t fix a darn thing.
Ha ha! Hence the disclaimer. You go girl!
Love your awesome dad reasons. Had to giggle on that.
This is a great post lol.My hubs is the one that play so silly with our kids and rough and tumble apparently i am to serious lol.
Ew, that sock hand wiping business is gross. Men!
I have to agree! Cause my hubs always gets the brownie points with the kids during play time!!
This was so cute and so true!!! Love it!
I love the disclaimer. My hubby sounds a lot like your hubby! He is not as much the Mr. Fix-it, but he does try.
This are right on the money. I’m pretty sure my daughter would say that daddy is cooler too.
Haha, this is so true! My kids love playing with Dad!
My boys love to wrestle with dad. That’s no fun with mom.
the “he wipes his hands on his socks” made me laugh. love all your reasons
My husband is definitely cool too. He lets the kids do all sorts of things I’d never allow. lol The kids love it!
I’m sure your kids love all those things about your husband. When I was a id I especially loved when my dad played hard with us 🙂
LOL strong enough to throw the kids! Cute list!
Kenny’s definitely the more fun parent. And the one who will allow L to get away with more. 😉
I have to agree with all those reasons. Many of those reasons are the reasons I love my husband. lol 🙂
Ha! My husband is definitely the cooler parent!
Wait noooooo! Both parrents can be cool, it doesn’t have to be just one!
My dad I swear is the only reason I am alive….lol. My mom didn’t cook and so my dad worked night and he would cook dinner for us in the morning and make our plates and everything and put them in the fridge for us so that we would have a home cooked meal every night.
They do play harder! My son always wants to roll and laugh and tickle when Daddy plays! Mama is for snuggles.
This is fabulous and I love the disclaimer. I know my son thinks his father is WAY cooler than me.
You’re right, dads do put all their focus on play. My husband is the fun one here too. 🙂 Happy Father’s Day to yours!
Lol cute post! Our household is dadless and has been for over 10 years since my husband died. So I’ll claim all that coolness as the mom and “dad”
That’s so true, when my husband plays he is allabout the kids. When I play I do it in between cooking dinner or answering emails or feeding the baby
Did you ever see the episode of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” where they were using an old sock as a bandage? I thought of that with #2, LOL! Sounds like your husband is a great dad. 🙂
I never seen aguy wipe his hands on his socks? That’s interesting, LOL
I definitely love that the dad in our household can fix stuff! What would we do without them?
What a cute list! When Daddy fixes stuff here, he also gets Bubbles as a cute little helper with her own tools. Which then kind of turns it into the play item on your list, I guess!
I best she is adorable!
This is a fun list of the reasons why dads are cooler. My kids all like daddy better and will get a kick out of adding to your list.
I’m sure each family could create their own unique list! Have a great day.
So true. My husband forgets everything else when he plays with the kids. Love that!
Greg is totally the fun dad. And I totally get the not-able-to-toss-baby and the multi-tasking thing 🙂 This is all very true!
I hope Greg has a great Father’s Day and hope all the Bardens are well. Enjoy some time off this summer with that precious little one!
Very awesome! I can’t throw my kids or catch them. Hope he had a great dad yesterday!
Very funny post! I definitely feel like dad is cooler than mom (me!). He definitely PLAYS and horses around with our two-year-old while I worry about getting hurt! LOL
Nope. Neither parent is superior but fun is subjective. I wish people would stop fawning over everything dads do but appreciate both parents.
Very true!