I know a lot of parents work their buns off between jobs and kiddos and my amazing husband is one of them! Corey is a great example of what a tuned-in parent should be, but I know there are still a lot of people who feel that dads are secondary parents and it bugs me every time! I constantly hear comments on parenting forums about dads not doing things as well as moms and it upsets me because my experience has been the opposite! This Father's Day, I want to celebrate Corey and all the dads who are equal parenting partners and great role-models.
For those of you who don't know why Corey is such an incredible dad, I'll give you some of my top reasons. Sometimes, he doesn't hear this enough from me because we're sort of trapped in the vortex of day-to-day life with a toddler but these things need to be said:
- He does it all: diapers, bottles, baths... you name it, and Corey does it... usually better than me!
- He took full parental leave! That's right- Corey took 13 months off (raising some eyebrows in his male-dominated field) from his own career in order to support my career and bond with Rudy.
- He LOVES our daughter but he also respects her! To him, she is not his "little princess"; she is his tornado, his queen and his BOSS!
- He chases Rudy around the house pretending to be a T-Rex!
- He plays rough with her! That includes wrestling and tossing her (so high) in the air. He encourages her to take risks and understands that a few bumps and bruises are part of the path to physical confidence.
- He takes baths with her and doesn't get embarrassed or shy away from using correct names for body parts. Bonus points for all the times when I'm working late and he texts me the most adorable bath selfies of the two of them!
- He is a great role-model for how she should expect to be treated by her future partners and he promises not to try to intimidate her future dates, but to trust and respect her own choices.
- Sometimes, he and Rudy wear onesies around the house and when I ask why, he says "We decided it was a pajama day!"
- He gives THE BEST shoulder rides and he hops around like a crazy person (even in public) while Rudy squeals in delight.
- He files her nails (so gently) and can't wait until they can get manis and pedis (no polish for him... probably) together!
- Rudy loves him so much that as she's falling asleep, I often hear her softly mumbling "dada" to herself.
Cheers to all the great dads in the world!
