Jun 19 2012.
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‘Wait till your father gets home’ is a statement I use a lot in my house when the kids have had the umpteenth fight or have ganged up and destroyed another part of my house.
But I just realised that exasperated outburst of mine usually has no weight for everyone is thrilled (including me, for now there is two of us to face the kids) when my husband arrives home and Dad is usually met with open arms, flying hugs. I have to face reality; Dads are definitely the cooler parent.
The following are my observations of how fathers, without any arguments, have been awarded the ‘Most Cool’ award.
1.Dads are more easy going than Mums
I am sure that all mothers can relate to the fact that we are like 24 hour convenience shops to our kids. I always joke that motherhood is the only profession where you don’t get sick days, holidays and have to work days as well as nights. I worry about everything when it comes to my kids, I worry about whether they are eating right, whether my discipling is too soft or whether it is too hard, whether during the few hours I spend at work are my children abandoned and motherless.
Yes of course it is all irrational worrying, but that is what we do best. The minute I come home I get bombarded with complaints, queries and requests and I can feel the stress thermometer clanging away as it reaches its highest level. My husband on the other hand exudes calmness, be it his personality or training for his profession, he will come home to harried wife and over excited kids and dispel the chaos tornado that is taking its momentum. He will tickle the baby, help my son with his lego and do some maths homework with my older daughter all this with a smile before he collapses with exhaustion after a busy day.
2. Dad is good cop and everyone likes good cop
Despite my persistent threats of ‘Wait till your father gets home’, when my husband does get home it is all fun and laughter. All my empty threats are forgotten amongst tickle fights and goofy fun. My husband will allow the extra few minutes of T.V before bedtime, ice-cream after dinner is readily had with Dad around and they are allowed to run around in the rain if Dad is babysitting. All such activity would be curtailed if I was with them and they would have had to go to bed early after eating their healthy snacks of fruit, and don’t even think about looking at the rain!
3. Dads don’t suffer from what is known as ‘Mum Guilt’
Be it their wiring but Dads do not seem to compare their children to others and feel guilty that their child doesn’t seem to be up to par as mothers do. My eloquent neighbour already has her daughter enrolled in every activity under the sun, from ballet to singing to playing the violin. Every time I listen, with a cheesy plastered smile on my face to her daughter’s latest accomplishment, I suffer terrible mum guilt where I wonder what have I done wrong that my child is not so accomplished. My husband does not even bat an eyelid.
4. Goes without saying Dads are better at playing.
Fathers after all are the best at playing chase because they can throw you much higher in the sky when he does catch you, the best imaginary train drivers who give train rides on their backs and the biggest bubble gum blowers. Dads are just all play and no work. While mums run around making sure everyone is in their place and the whole household is chugging along smoothly. It also goes without saying that Dads are just intuitively good at playing, because they are just little boys who have never grown up themselves!
5. Modern Dad is more popular.
Over the years, fathers have got more involved in helping to raise their children, while women have actually gone back to work and are not involved in the fulltime caring of their children. So as fathers have stepped forward, mothers have taken a step back as some would like to say. Therefore in society’s eyes men have proven to be the more positive party out of the two.
I realize that this is a sensitive topic between the two sexes, for the amount of love and attention we pour on our children, us mothers want to be the be all and end all when it comes it our children. But unfortunately the critical evaluation and conclusion has come forth from the staunchest of critics there is, my children. So they do say that Dad is more cooler than mum, but whenever they want a kiss on their little scratched knee or someone to complain too, they always come running to me for even though I am not so cool I will always kiss their troubles away and that’s fine with me.
Please do let me know what you think. Are Dad’s really cooler than mums?
(Mayuri Jayasinghe)
0 Comments
Realstance says:
Jun 21, 2012 at 01:40 pmYes, most dads are cool but not all of them.I do get your point but I think that dads appear to be cool because of the presence of the mum.I get this view that a mother is the person who holds a family together therefore a very important unit.
Dads appear to be cool maybe they see the situation differently and there are times when coolness swaps genders.