I started “adulting” late in life but now must face the fact that my 1-year-old daughter requires me to be emotional beyond my wildest dreams. Before her birth, I firmly stood in the traditional military male category. To me this meant not showing much emotion in public, keeping a “steely-eyed” killer face on throughout the day and fearlessly executing the mission with little emotional expression. My outlook all changed during the 2018 Super bowl weekend.
She came into this world like Godzilla smashing buildings in Tokyo. In an instant, she changed my world forever. My fatherly instinct took over and my well-being quickly became irrelevant compared to her safety. After she popped out and was put into her mother’s hands, I leaned in to kiss the most precious thing in the world. Her response? A big, wet (not sure what the liquid was) sneeze right in my face. It didn’t matter though; I got a glimpse of heaven and became the happiest man in the world.
Baby girl turned 1 recently, and she is now a mobile monster with highs and lows. Mom still gets the bulk of her attention, but play time with Dada has its moments. Her small unbalanced steps run towards me with a toothy grin from ear to ear knowing that I’m seconds away from planting a big belly tickle on her. She laughs and laughs, and I eat every second of it up. This 15 mins of play time tuckers her out, and her emotional state changes for the worse quicker than you can say Baby Shark (yes, that song is now stuck in your head again). This emotional tango of a dance is where I’ve grown the most. Mom needs time away and Dada’s determination to keep Little Person occupied is the new little black dress. My attempts to quell the situation revolve around offering snacks, more tickling and toy interest. It works in small increments and she wraps her little arms around me for a split second to show appreciation. Soon after Mom makes a sound and she realizes Dada isn’t Mama… I start all over. I hope these moments last forever, but I know they will not. For I am Dada…master of tickles, snacks and laughter in small 15 minute increments.
Different Boots 