Being a Daddy is in the Details

Ahh...the weekend.  Time to take a breather, relax,,, and drive around like a mad man looking for one of the two hockey sticks that our family left here, there and everywhere except where they're supposed to be because my Evie has hockey in a couple of hours.

Oh yes, talk about the ideal Saturday morning.  I was gathering Evie's hockey equipment when I realized we were stickless.  The extra hockey stick that I just picked up the week before because I thought it might be a good idea to have an extra one kicking around?  I forgot it at church after some Sunday night ball hockey.  Evie's regular stick?  Well, who knows where that is.  My guess was last week's arena, so I drove out there to check the lost and found.  Nope.  Well, now I was only a few blocks from our church, so I went there. Nope, no stick.  So I boot it to Canadian Tire, buy two new sticks, get home, measure the stick against Evie, cut it, tape it and then rush off to hockey.  Whew!!  Made it.

To say the least, I was a little annoyed.  It's easy to feel fatherly when doing fatherly things like teaching your kid how to swim or ride a bike or even standing in the arena proudly watching her race across the ice while sipping on a nice hot coffee (that'd be me sipping the coffee, not her).  That's fatherhood, right?  What about the time fixing that blasted tire on her bike or getting all the swim gear ready every week?  Or getting them in and out of their swimsuits and in and out of the car again and again?

These are essential to being a Daddy...doing what needs to be done, when it needs doing whether it be the key milestone moments in a Daddy-Child relationship or the most mundane and routine activities (like searching for a hockey stick).  All the behind the scenes work, running around, preparation and grunt work are as important as the main events;  they lay the foundation for whatever will be.  It's my job to do what needs to be done to ensure that my girls have a shot to do and achieve their goals.  Today it might simply be getting to hockey practice with all the right gear...tomorrow, who knows?

Moreover, the routine things in life add up...how you approach the daily tasks (the teeth brushing, nose wiping, pony tailing) can go a long way in shaping your relationship with your children.  It's easy to be annoyed and grumpy.  But if you're always annoyed and grumpy when going through the daily grind of parenthood, what message are the kids picking up?  I don't want to indulge or spoil my girls (some may say, "too late!") but neither do I want them feeling like they're a constant nuisance.  

Embrace all the moments you have to be a Daddy...do what you need to do and do it well.   Good luck out there today!!