{Live} A Tribute to Mama John aka Daddy
March 21, 2011 in All Posts, Live, Outlaw Posts
To my dismay, last weekend was a working weekend. All 48 hours of it.
I’ve already complained about working on the weekend at The Verdict, so there’s no need to get into it here. And I won’t mention the fact that because of my work deadline I missed my dear friend H’s Stella and Dot trunk show (which would have been my first mom’s night out since October!).
No.
Instead - in keeping with my New Year’s Resolution to focus on the positive aspects of my life - I’ll share with you my tribute to dear Hubby - affectionately known as Mama John around the house - who happily took care of Jane and Sam for the entire weekend and did a superb job.
Why do I need to applaud Hubby’s efforts when I - and most moms - wouldn’t get the same kudos for simply doing what needs to be done? As parents, aren’t we equally responsible for the children and isn’t it both of our jobs to rear and raise them?
Well, for one, Hubby isn’t usually on baby duty for 48 hours straight. I, like most moms, have more experience handling the kids on my own than Hubby based on the sheer number of hours I’ve logged with them alone over the past three years (including 9-months of Jane’s gestation).
After bumbling about for the first month after Sam was born, I am now quite adept at multi-tasking with the two: bottle feeding one while spoon feeding the other; putting one to bed while diapering and dressing another; and coming up with all sorts of projects made with ordinary household items for our rainy indoor weekend entertainment.
Two, I’m in charge of the menu planning for Jane - a big, but picky eater - so Hubby figuring out what and how to feed her is no easy task.
And three, Sam is just starting to cruise and getting into absolutely everything, so we can no longer just plop him on the floor somewhere while we play with Jane.
Oh, and did I mention: Jane hates Sam!
But much, much, much to my surprise, I received this iPhone photo from Mama John on Saturday morning:
Mama John had the great idea to set up the easel and play school! (Be still my beating heart). Apparently Jane and Hubby played “The Alphabet Game” and learned their letters while Sam took his morning nap. Wow.
That itself was enough to assure me that Hubby and the kids were okay without me, but then I received a report via text later that afternoon saying that Mama John was able to get Jane down for a 3 hour afternoon nap!
Wait, it gets better.
Not only did Mama John get both kids to bed without the usual tantrums on Saturday night, but on Sunday afternoon, he sent this photo from his phone:
Jane and Sam in the same bath? And hugging?! (There goes my heart again). Looks like I underestimated Mama John’s babysitting abilities.
Now that I think about it, Hubby does have a pretty good handle on running the household: he washes the dishes, he folds the laundry, he makes the bed, he tidies, he grocery shops for and cooks our meals. And it’s not rare that the deliciously warm aroma of buttermilk crepes, freshly baked brown bread or his famous Irish soda bread greets us before we get out of bed on weekend mornings. No wonder we call him Mama John.
So, Mama John: here’s to you!
Never again shall I underestimate your Daddy-ing abilities. (But now that I know what you’re capable of, I just might need to make use of your services more often)!
Do your husbands/significant others carry their parenting and household weight? Leave a comment and share your wonderful - or horror - stories about your hubby or partner!
