to my sweet husband, Robbie, who seems to, so far, enjoy fatherhood! Fatherhood is so much different than motherhood. At least it is at my house. It’s like all the responsibility ultimately falls back on mom, but Dad is there to come to the rescue (most of the time). I loved the skit a group did at church this morning. It was the Top 10 Best (and Worst) things about being a dad. One of the entries was “It’s so wonderful when your child looks at you and thinks you are “superman”. You can do anything.” And the worst list included, “Being expected to be superman.”
I know I’ve expressed before the problem I’ve seen since becoming a mom: I just can’t do everything. I get so frustrated sometimes with my “mom” + wife + professional duties, feeling like I’m alone out here doing “everything” that I forget the stress the daddies can feel; the pressure to perform and provide, the pressure to be the “leader”, the pressure to know how to do anything and everything at the drop of a hat. My husband can not be my “everything”. Neither can my baby or my job nor my own earthly father. This father’s day, I’m reminded to look up, pray, OFTEN and sincerely. God can be my everything. And by going to him with even the small things, the burdens and expectations I place on myself and my spouse can be eased–maybe not completely lifted, but at least lightened.
The sermon text today at our church was Eph 6:1-4. The first verse, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord,” is more than just a call to be obedient. It’s a lesson for the parents as well… “in the Lord”. It’s a call for us to give our children wise counsel, to raise them in the ways of the Lord, to not lead them astray or put them in harms way. Why should children respect and obey a parent who is clearly flailing? We have to be steadfast and focused. It is more evident to me every day there are things Emily has inherited from us, even habits, but there are even more she learns from us everyday, even at 3 months old. If you don’t believe me, here’s an example: This week, Emily sucks her thumb…. her left one… with her right hand playing with the hair on top of her head. Robbie used to do this as a baby/child. With his left thumb in his mouth and right hand in his hair. That’s something she “inherited”. And like the last post showed, she’s already learned to stick out her tongue from mimicking her daddy. It makes it all the much more clear that we really need to mind our p’s and q’s.
Hope you guys have a great week! Thank you to all you dad’s out there for being there for us moms! May God give you the strength and courage to guide your family in God.
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