The pressure of being a dad can get to a man. Sometimes what you really want to do is hide in the garage and make your family kill their own spiders. But being a great dad means you have to keep it together even when things get crazy. Just remember you’re not alone. There are times when every dad would like to freak out.
The “Not to My Daughter” Freak Out
Your baby girl is all dressed up for her first high-school dance. Your heart fills with tenderness when you see how excited she is for her date to arrive. You don’t even mind the small fortune you shelled out for the dress.
But when the bum comes to pick her up 30 minutes late, asks if she has any gas money and complains about the price of the prom tickets you get a sinking feeling something bad is about to happen – to him.
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What You Want to Do
Call the cops and have the no-good punk arrested for hurting you baby’s feelings. Drive his rusted out set of wheels over a cliff and lock your daughter in her room until she’s 21.
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What You Actually Do
You take the advice of the experts at the Good Men Project. You make a point to frequently tell your daughter she’s smart, strong, capable, interesting and beautiful. When she knows you value her as a person she’s more likely to choose men that will do the same.
The “Chutes and Ladders Again” Freak Out
Kids can read the same book and play the same game over and over again with the same level of enthusiasm every time. Dads can’t. You love having play time, but sometimes it feels like if you have to play that same game one more time your head might just explode.
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What You Want to Do
Stomp, rip and tear the game board into bits and grind those little colored playing pieces into dust with your shoes while your children scream in horror.
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What You Actually Do
You play again, and enjoy the smiles on your kids faces who are happy because you’re spending time with them. Also, just to keep things interesting, you casually take out your smartphone and sneak in a few moves on one of your favorite hidden-object games like Jewel Quest Free when they’re not watching.
The “I Don’t Like It” Freak Out
It doesn’t matter if Mom cooked it, you cooked it or it was delivered to the door. When your kids don’t want to eat dinner it can make the entire evening miserable for everyone.
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What You Want to Do
Pull the old “kids are starving in ____” guilt trip your mom pulled on you. You may also want to send the picky little cookie crunchers to bed without dinner for a week. That’ll teach ‘em.
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What You Actually Do
You set a good example. If you want kids to eat their vegetables, eat yours. If you want them to be calm at the dinner table and use good manners, turn off the television and do the same. Consistency, a positive environment and good modeling are the keys to more pleasant mealtimes with young children according North Shore Pediatric Therapy.
Admitting parenting can get tough is the first step in coping with the hard stuff. Keep your sense of humor, Dad. If you need to once in a while when you’re all alone in the house, go ahead and freak out. You can always tell the kids the dog chewed up their favorite book.
Add situations that make you want to “freak-out” to the comments below. Thank you.
