D is for Dads

 Today's post is brought to you by the letter D and the number 1. Ha! Now I sound like Sesame Street :) Well I had a few ideas for things that start with D but I thought dads was probably the most important. I think that kids need their daddies. I know there are women out there who do the whole single parenting thing and this is nothing against them, I applaud them for the work they do. I sympathize as I was without my husband more than once for over a year but I can't say I did the single parent thing despite what people think. I didn't have to work and take care of my kids even though my husband was gone (training, deployment and an unaccompanied tour) he was still there. He was providing an income and health insurance but he was also there as emotional support. I knew that even though it felt like I was alone, I wasn't.

 I think dads are vitally important for children as they grow up. For boys their dads are their role models on what it means to be a man, how to treat women and how involved they should be in the family. With out a good dad to mimic they go off what they see on tv. I don't know about you but I don't think I'd want to be married to many of the men portrayed on tv shows. For girls their dad's are the ones who first establish their self esteem, teach them how men are supposed to treat them and of course are the ones they can always count on to protect them. If your father made you feel worthless as a child its a pretty safe bet that that's still how you see yourself. A lot of people work to overcome those kinds of feeling but impact our father's have on us is amazing.

 I was blessed with a wonderful dad. I thought he hung the moon and the stars and he still calls me princess. I   know I can go to him for anything and he'll be there. While at the same time I have friends who had father's who hurt them and molested them. I can't even wrap my mind around the concept of not having your dad as a safety net. You can see how it colors their perceptions about their husbands even though they say they trust them there is that doubt still.

 My husband is a wonderful father and the best husband in the whole world. He makes mistakes and can't handle crying like I can but he is rock solid for the kids. Its because of him that my boys are extremely polite to women; they open doors for them and carry in groceries. They believe women (especially little girls) need to be protected but not in an overbearing chauvinistic type of way. Cap has gotten in trouble at school for punching a child that made a little girl cry by pushing her over. Legoman isn't quite as hands on but the times he runs into crying female figures he comforts them and either goes and gets an adult or brings them flowers. They're sweetness is all because of the incredible sweetness they've gotten from their father.

  He even has helped with some of the girls we've had through the house. Angel, for example, had been abused and molested by her father. She had pretty severe PTSD and anxiety when she first got here especially around men. When she left here she no longer flinched from men in the stores and actually was able to talk to men (if she had someone there she trusted). Angel even asked my husband to go with her to court when she had to testify in front of her father. Princess is such a daddy's girl. She adores my husband and screams daddy when he pulls up and runs into his arms as soon as he walks in the door. If he says no to either Princess or Giggles they burst into tears. They even listen to him way more than me because they just want him to be happy with them. So be thankful for those good dads out there, they're pretty important.