 |
| © Unsplash/Juliane Liebermann My Husband Is a Much Better Parent Than I Am, and I'm OK With That |
By Angela Anagnost-Repke, PopSugar
My husband is a much better parent than I am. I'm not sure if it's because he works full-time and doesn't spend as much time with the kids (and avoids getting irritated so much) while I'm home with them, or if it's because he truly has so much more patience than I do. Either way, he relishes parenthood while I usually just try to survive every day. But I really don't mind that he surpasses me in the parenting department. In fact, I welcome it.
When my husband bolts through the door after a long day at work, the kids charge him like a herd of bulls while screaming, "Daddy!" over and over again. Once he's home, he doesn't plop himself on the couch and scroll through social media on his phone, either. Nope, he wrestles the kids, helps my son with a Lego set, and gets them going in a game of hide-and-seek. He's always sure to save up some energy for the end of the day for his children, which, in return, gives me the much-needed break.
Once bedtime rolls around, he does all the dirty work. After he does the dishes, he tries to calm the kids down, get them to brush their teeth, and put their pajamas on. My kids almost always battle their dad during the bedtime routine, but my husband is never rattled. He stays patient and calm and rarely loses his temper. And after the kids are all settled in their beds, I can swoop in and read them the bedtime story. He saves the best part for me.
He also encourages me to get away and spend time with my friends because he knows I need it. Me, on the other hand? I dread when he leaves the family. But when I leave for any amount of time, he says, "I love having the kids to myself. It's so fun." I think he's nuts. I mean, it's so much extra work. I truly have no idea how single moms do it, and they are heroes in my book.
Before we had kids, I never dreamed my husband would be the better parent. Of course I'm still a good parent, but overall, he's just better. Between his patience and never-ending energy with the kids, it's a recipe for a top-notch dad, and my kids are lucky to have him. He's also good at enforcing the rules. He's not a pushover. My kids have learned that there's a time to roughhouse with dad and also a time to buckle down and listen. Sometimes the latter is tougher, but the kids get it because my husband doesn't give in.
While seeing my husband be the better parent could make me resentful and sad, it actually makes me really happy. We're a team, and our parenting styles complement each other. He does things that I can't, and vice versa. And I think our parenting wins will ebb and flow. He might excel now, but I could be really good at the teenage years (if that's even possible for any parent). I married a man who's not only a wonderful husband but an even better father to our children. The way our kids look at him with amazement and wonder is the best kind of gift I could have ever asked for. He can wear the "Best Parent" title belt proudly, and I'll be the one to give it to him every single time.
