Being married to a blogger means that my life in words (and pictures) is documented on social media ALL the time. I don’t mind really but it also means when I go out to a football match (Norwich just went up, up, UP) I have to cope with the fact when I get home, a little bit worse for a couple of beers (aherm), I am likely to have a photograph of my snoring face plastered on Twitter and none of it is at my hands…
So… As it’s Father’s Day, I have been allowed a little social media take-over, a Daddy blog take-over in fact! Today, I am in charge and all the pictures of me that I would never post on my own Facebook page (I don’t even really ‘do’ Facebook anyway) get to stay firmly away from the ether as I do this blog the Daddy way! I don’t have to mention anything embarrassing about myself and stories like the time I swung my daughter around by her legs (at her request a la ‘Strictly Come Dancing’) giving her a forehead carpet burn, can stay well and truly unmentioned… Oh wait!
Anyway, as it’s Father’s Day, I’m going to write about what being a Father is to me. And… Leave the embarrassing stories for Ruth and another day! (I could of course bring up a few about her but… I kind of want my dinner tonight so…)
The day I found out Ruth was pregnant I sat in the chair in my music room for about 2 hours staring into the distance trying to understand what was about to happen. It never really did sink in back then no matter how many pregnancy magazines I read over the next nine months (I quite got into them if I’m honest) and it wasn’t until she was born, screaming and making her presence known from the start that it fully dawned on me how life had changed!
During the labour I made the first of many gaffs that have gone down in our family history. I think the line I delivered to the midwife as my wife was delivering our baby was ‘How much longer will this go on for because I can’t take much more?’ and saying insensitive things became a bit of a forte of mine in the beginning. There was one Saturday morning on about week three when I asked my wife if she could let me have a lie in because it was my day off… But, along with my music room (it became the nursery), the one liners that bought me the stare of doom have long since disappeared… (Well… I say that but hours after Jimmy was born I did ask my wife if she knew what sort of pain I was in as I had a tummy ache… It did NOT go down well!)
Anyway, saying the wrong thing at the wrong time aside… I think I’ve grown into this role of Daddy quite nicely. I don’t even remember what life was like pre-children and I absolutely don’t want to. Life is better now, life is bloody brilliant in fact! Not one but TWO fantastic children call me Daddy these days and I am informed by the wife that there may well be another one soon… I’ll keep an eye out for that then!
It’s not the big things that make being a Daddy the best job in the world it’s just everything. Even when you come home from work, absolutely shattered and wanting to sit down on the sofa, what could be better than the cry of the people you love more than anything in the world shouting out your name in happiness that you’re home?! Ok, so a sit down might be welcome but I’ll take the jumping on my back and demand for horsey rides and the massive cuddles of excitement to see their grumpy old Dad home! I’ll take that more than any sit down on any chair in any music room that once was because…
This week my little boy came home from nursery, his third week of having started there, and he told me he’d made me a Father’s Day card. This tiny little chap, so pleased with himself and this big chap over here is rather pleased with himself too. Two children, more on the way soon if my wife has her way, and I’m happy as Larry.
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