The Dad Life by Danny Heath

13 years ago today I had the awesome privilege of becoming a daddy. It was one of the most incredible and terrifying moments of my life. I always wanted to have children, a lot of them, and on that Wednesday night in New Orleans that desire became a reality. The moment I laid eyes on and first held that dark haired, blue eyed little girl I crumbled. In that moment I knew life would never be the same again. As a new parent that might have been the only thing I was right about but I was pretty confident my life was forever changed. Fast forward 13 years and now our quiver is VERY full. We are blessed to have 3 daughters. I've learned so much and while I'm certainly no expert, my knowledge base has grown. In honor of Madison's 13th birthday, here are some things I've learned as a dad.

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1. Uh-oh might be the scariest phrase a parent will ever hear! 
2. The words "daddy's home" and the sound of little feet running towards the door after a long day is one of the greatest feelings EVER!
3. It is possible to love multiple children with your whole heart. I'm sure there is a common core math problem that can explain how this is possible. I've never seen the math problem but I have experienced loving 3 little girls with all that I am. 
4. Some diaper blow outs result in entire outfits being trashed. And babies somehow know that a parent dry heaving is funny. It's part of their sin nature.
5. Your little people are watching and listening to you ALL THE TIME! Be careful what you do and say, your little parrot will likely mimic your behavior at the most inopportune time.
6. Dads of daughters have an incredible opportunity to set the bar very high for future relationships by loving and treating his little girl like a princess. Once they've experienced this they are less likely to settle for a loser one day. So....step it up dads! 
7. Pink fingnail (fingernail) polish will never completely come out of carpet. It doesn't matter how hard you scrub. I'm convinced the carpet companies are also fingernail polish investors.
8. Tell your kids you love them. I've heard dads say "I'm just not the touchy feely type" and "they know I love them". Perhaps that is true but why not say it and demonstrate it? My dad modeled this for me and still tells me he loves me and I'm a grown man. I'm grateful for him and his example.
9. The days are long but the years are short!  Enjoy every last moment. Laugh often and try not to be so serious all the time. Try to make every game, recital, school play and awards ceremony possible. It means so much to them for you to be present. 
10. Parenthood is the most wonderfully miserable experience I've ever had. Wonderful for a 1,000 reasons and miserable because sometimes there are things you can't fix and booboos you can't make better. When my kids hurt, I hurt more. You can't fix it all but you can be there for them and that's enough. 
11. Sometimes we strive to have perfect family moments and we fail miserably. There's screaming, weeping and gnashing of teeth. Our carefully crafted family moment more closely resembles a scene from The Hunger Games. We don't let these moments define us but we do try to learn from them so we don't repeat them. 
12. It takes a village so don't be too prideful to ask for advice or help. There are those who've gone before you, who've already learned from their mistakes and can save you from some pain....so ask for help!
13. Children are a gift from the Lord. My job is to care and provide for them. God has entrusted me with raising them so it is imperative that I teach them what it means to love God and love people. This is my greatest responsibility. This is why we pray for our girls so often. 

If you are a parent I'm sure you have your own list. At some point you've probably even thought "now I understand why some animals in the wild eat their young". You aren't alone!! It's an exhausting and rewarding job. I'm entering into a new dimension, parenting a teen. A girl teen. I'm terrified yet hopeful. Wherever you are on your parenting journey, whether you are contemplating starting a family or you are experiencing empty nest, this phrase is probably fitting....may the odds be ever in your favor! 


#parenting
#HappyBirthdayMadison
#dadofdaughters
#childrenareagift

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