Monday, December 13, 2010

This Dad's Not Soft

-
One thing should be abundantly clear from reading this blog. I love my son. And, while it is natural and common for children to go through certain stages where they gravitate to one parent as the preferred parent, I have thus far in my experience as a dad prided myself in the fact that Lukas, for the most part, hasn’t done this.

And, even though it may be typical for young boys to turn to mom when needing a little TLC, I have always attributed the fact that my little guy will also often call out for me when he is hurt or scared to the fact that he is just as comfortable with me as he is with Mrs. LIAYF.

Not so fast Dad.

Lukas woke up from his afternoon nap on Sunday after only an hour and a half which, thankfully, is still a short nap for most weekends. When I went to check on him he was rubbing his eyes but instead of laying back down he wanted to go downstairs. As we reached our foyer he ran over to his mother, who was otherwise engaged in project, and jumped into her arms.

“I’m tired” He indicated to her. “Yeah? Do you want to go back to bed and lay down?” I asked him.

“No, I just want to cuddle” he responded as he wrapped his arms tighter around his mother’s neck. “Okay. Why don’t you lay down on the sofa and cuddle with Daddy.” Mrs. LIAYF suggested.

With that he turned to look at me, squinted his eyes together, and let out a whiny “Noooooo”. This prompted Mrs. LIAYF to ask him what was wrong with Daddy. The response was telling.

“He’s not soft!”

Grinning, I managed an amused “And where is Mommy soft that Daddy isn’t?” to which, still in her arms, he leaned back, looked down, and gave a classic Vanna White signature hand gesture towards her chest, before burying his face into her sweater.

I had to fold, since with that I couldn't compete.

So there you have it. No matter how close the bond are that dads share with their sons, there will always be certain assets that we won’t have to work with. Like being soft in the right spots.

No worries though,  I am still extremely lucky to have had the Wheel of Fortune shine on me with these two.

Picture credit: cindyribelt 

17 comments:

writtendad said...

"Vanna White signature hand gesture." Nice. Very nice. And really, this is a good sign because it means you don't have man boobs. Glass half full. Shirt half empty.

Didactic Pirate said...

See, if you weren't made of rock-hard steel, you'd be getting the snuggles right now.

Ordinary Dad said...

I agree, time to lay off the bench pressing and start chowing down the potato chips. You'll be soft in no time...

goodfather said...

@writtendad - LOL! Nice turn(s) of the metaphor(s).

Awesome post, although I'll be washing Pat Sayjak out of my head somehow tonight.

Lady Mama said...

Hahaha - what writtendad said: no man boobs = a good thing!

Barbara L said...

That might be a good thing that you aren't soft as mommy! LOL

SciFi Dad said...

My son is still fighting this flu that has ravaged our family. Last night he was in his bed calling for my wife for about 20 minutes when I broke down and went up to offer him a cuddle (he had been asking for my wife to cuddle him in our rocking chair, something that helps him fall asleep). He declined. I asked him if he wanted me to leave, and he said yes. I tried cajoling, offering snuggles in his bed, anything. It ended like this.

"So you want me to go?"

"Yeah."

"I love you Buddy."

"Love you too, Daddy. Bye."

Broke my heart.

ericdbolton said...

My 2 yo daughter is gravitating more towards her mom now. Which is cool, because she wants mom to change her diapers.

Otter Thomas said...

It's hard to compare with boobs. Nothing to be sad about.

Alan said...

This is why I don't work out. I will always win this war.

Yet another developmental, personality milestone to look forward to.

Eric said...

Enjoy your Dad responsibilities and let mom do what she does best! Great post!

Eric said...

Take a peek at my blog at my dad blog at http://wackydad.blogspot.com/

Papa K said...

Hilarious man. Looks like you got yourself a boob man there!!! Boobs are great for snuggling.

EdathomeDad said...

I can relate to not being soft in the right places. My daughter doesn't do much of the cuddling with me because my chest is to hard. My daughter asked why. I told her it's because mom always asks me to lift heavy things and that's why. The next day she picked up some three pound weights and said, "hey, dad I'm working on my chest muscles to make them hard like you, so I can help you lift heavy stuff when mom asks you to".

Anonymous said...

There's still plenty of shopping days until Christmas.

James (SeattleDad) said...

@Writtendad - Yup, no man boobs. Thankfully.

@Didactic - I wouldn't go that far.

@Ordinary Dad - Potato chips do sound good right now.

@Goodfather - Sayjack is tough to get out of your head.

@Lady Mama - Boobs on me would be strange.

@Barbara - Thanks for stopping by.

@Scifi - That's tough. We dads don't get the snuggles we deserve.

@Eric - Diapers Moms can have.

@Otter - I didn't stand a chance.

@Alan - Thanks for stopping by. Yes, the milestones are terrific.

@Eric - Thanks, and thanks for stopping by. I will be over to check out your blog soon.

@Papa K - Yes, he comes from a long line of boob men.

@Ed - haha. She is trying to soften you up.

@DC - shopping for fake boobs? He'll never buy it.

Keith Wilcox said...

Yeah, my boys have pulled that one on me too. "Mama is Squishy!" Arghh. What's a guy to do? Can't compete with that. :-)