My mom used to tell me when I was younger that I'd be lucky to find a husband who would be as hands-on with our future kids as my father was. You see, she worked overseas most of my growing up years so it was my father who took care of my brother and I and later on, my youngest sister, too.
As a baby who suffered from colic, he would let me sleep on his tummy the entire night because it was the only way to relieve my discomfort. We had yayas now and then but he was the one who took us to and from school, prepared our baon, brought me to the salon for those school events when I needed to have my hair done or makeup applied and shopped for whatever outfits I needed each time. He was even the one who combed and tied my hair into pigtails because there was no one else to do it for me. And he made sandwiches and hotdogs on sticks and bought ice cream and cake to bring to our homerooms each time we celebrated our birthdays. He took care of us the way my mother would have if she had been home during those years.
Fortunately, I did get very lucky because J is as hands-on as my father was. He doesn't think twice about changing Jeolo's nappies, cleaning up his poop, giving him a bath, feeding him and playing with him. He sometimes has even more patience with our tot than I do. He puts our family's needs before his own and works very hard to give us a good life. We've only been married four years, and he's only been a dad for less than three, but he's a pro at it and I have no doubt that he'll be even more wonderful in the years to come.
To J, Jeolo's amazing Dada and my beloved better-half, and to my dearest Papang, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! The world would be a much better place if there were more men like you in it.
Mood Music: Leader of the Band by Dan Fogelberg