Dads.

I realize they aren’t all created equal, but as far as the one my girls scored, he’s pretty high up the list.  On any given day, they might have something else to say about dad, but that’s just because he might be asking a question or two that makes them uncomfortable.  Here are a few of his most popular questions:

Decided where you want to apply to college?

 

While these are all things they know need to happen, they procrastinate and sometimes dad has to give them a nudge.  Nobody likes to be nudged.  It’s true that sometimes he can be overzealous in his questioning and his desire to have things done on his timeline.  Interestingly enough, his girls also have this same trait of wanting things done according to their timeline so it’s a give and take.  Mostly he gives in and takes a deep breath.

Their dad is a doer.  He does not know how to sit idle unless he is lying on a beach somewhere.  This means he doesn’t like anyone else to be idle either.  There are always things to be done, people,  which brings me to his next characteristic of being a list maker.  He used to carry this piece of paper around all the time with things to do.  This list became so worn from him carrying it around and his list kept getting longer so he finally gave in and went digital. I think the only reason he didn’t keep his list on his phone originally was just to make us all feel the pressure when the list came out.  The list contains some things like changing the oil, but those are mainly for his girls. He usually has bigger things on it like painting the house, purchasing plane tickets or calling a contractor. I think he has a section called, “Girls” and he just keeps adding to the weekly and monthly questions he might have for them. He goes to sleep thinking about his list and he most certainly wakes up thinking about his it. He has been known to call the older ones on a Sunday morning, bypass hello and just start the interrogation process.   As you might imagine, that is quickly followed by a text to mom asking for some help.  What am I supposed to say?  I mean, mow your lawn and he won’t call.

He is also the enforcer.  He makes sure the $%*& gets done.  He is going to ask you about it and then hound you until it is DONE.  Wait, no, that isn’t how it works.  He is going to call them, text them and then he is going to hound me to make sure they get it done.  Yes, that is how it usually happens.  Then I call them and tell them to mow the lawn before dad calls again.

I know it sounds like I am picking on him or that the girls don’t appreciate him, but it’s quite the opposite.  We all know that he is the reason everything works in our world and when it doesn’t he is the one we all call.

When there is a bird, a bunny, a turtle or a lizard in the backyard they call dad.

When the fridge isn’t working, the AC has stopped, there is no heat or the faucet which has running water pouring out of it breaks off in your hand at midnight…they call dad.

When the disposal doesn’t work, he walks them through how to fix it.

When you run out of gas, have a dead battery  or both (and it is possible because our middle daughter accomplished this on the left side of the highway).   Okay, that one the boyfriend had to take care of, but she still called dad for moral support.

When your car breaks down, the police come and you need a tow one thousand miles from home, you call dad.
When you get pulled over, are involved in a car accident or you just can’t get ahold of mom…you call dad.

And when you get the big break, have great news or maybe you just changed the oil in your car before dad asked, you call dad.

Dads are the doers, the list makers, the fixers and the problem solvers and we love them for it even if we  don’t always show it.

So thanks for always making sure our lives go round like they are supposed to otherwise we would be living in a car on blocks in a jungle of a yard.