It’s Good To Be Dad

How good is it to be Dad? Here's just how good!

I haven't been doin' the Dad Thing very long. About five years now. Justin's homecoming anniversary is coming up in a few days on the 23rd.

I wasn't sure I could do it. Cathy kept telling me I had to grow up and be more mature. I figured if I had to do that, how was I ever going to be able to Dad? Turns out bein' a big kid is an important part of Dadding - and science backs me up on that!

According to this recent study done at the U of M, Dads get the more fun jobs of parenting, like playing with kids. Awesome! The boys and I shoot hoops together; there's Popicorn on the trampoline; soccer and video games.

Now, Moms, on the other hand, they end being Bad Cop. They get all the hard jobs. They have to actually Parent. They get all the cleaning and the discipline - especially if their spouse is, like me, just a big kid playing with the other, littler, kids.

The study found that this family model makes Moms are "less happy, more stressed and more fatigued". Moms need more appreciation, patience, and love for all the thankless, hard work they do.

The video above is from Justin's second visit. We got to spend a week with him in January 2011. He came for another visit in August 2011, around his birthday. A couple weeks after he went back, we were on a plane to bring him home. When we picked him up from the airport, Cathy was nervous about seeing him again. You can see from the video, he ran right to her and gave her a big hug.

All the fun that I've had as a dad over the last few years, she's always been the one behind the camera. This was one of those rare, special moments, when the camera was on her.

It's one of my favorites.