Triple The Dad

“Daddy, I’m angry at you!” My dear daughter says these words with a fierceness that would seem impossible for a four year old.  But I almost don’t hear them.  I’m busy checking my watch.  It’s a couple minutes before my wife gets home.  The second tick by. tick, tick, tick. I’m wondering how long this tantrum will go on. tick, tick, tick.     Not because I’m worried she will come home to a tantrum, or wonder how I've failed so miserably as a Dad.  No.  It is because part of me is not only  wondering  how long the tantrum will run, but actively  rooting  for it to go on. I'm not worried my wife will walk into a war zone; I'm afraid she won't.  Because I want my wife to not just hear about it from me, but to witness it;  experience  it. I may have been recently named a  Brilliant Dad . Given the potentially  low bar , I suppose its possible I am. But I am without a doubt a very, ...

Recently I was featured as a “Brilliant Dad” over at diydaddyblog.com . That isn’t to brag. I think the bar for parenting is pretty low.   Despite this, I don’t feel very brilliant most days.  That is the truth. I see so many posts on twitter and on blogs about parenting by “instinct.”  But what if my instincts are all wrong? As I said in my Brilliant Dad feature, I’m not sure I’m constructed to really parent well. I’m a bit of a loner; I’m a bit introverted; I need alone time to “recharge,” and without it I can be short tempered. I’m frustrated when people can’t follow directions. None of these are great qualities to have as a parent.  That last one is pretty much the definition of four year olds and nothing will make you butt heads with a four-year old faster than acting  like a four-year old. And so my instinct is to do it myself; at least when I’m not sighing and expressing anger. Because I need that recharge time, I find myself strugg...