As much as I b*tch and moan about how difficult it is being a mother, I know that I am not in this alone. And I know that it must be just as difficult for him…if not worse at times.
Because I can’t fathom how frustrating and upsetting it must be when you have been trying your darndest to soothe your hysterically crying baby, only to have her immediately calm down once she is in her mother’s arms — because after all, the baby had been living inside the mother for almost 10 months and intimately knows her voice, scent, and even her breathing rhythm from birth, while all she may recall about you from the womb are the muffled sounds of your voice.
Being a father must be just as heartbreaking when you work all day, away from your family to provide for them, and your own child starts crying at the sight of you because she has started to equate your presence at night with bedtime.
J with Claire in the early days
So I just want to take a moment to tell J, and all the new fathers out there, that it will get better. Your children will begin to look forward to your coming home from work with great anticipation every night. They will grab at your legs and refuse to let go. They will ask for “one more please?” as you dance with them with their little feet on yours.
And there will be — numerous times throughout their lives — when YOU will be their favorite person in the whole wide world.
Just keep doing what you are doing, and know that we love you and are thankful for you every day.
