Sara was my first real experience with a baby.  I’d never babysat, changed a diaper (much less a poopey one) nor spent much time with a baby.   I know it’s not very manly to read instruction manuals for anything but if there was one available, I would have given any amount of money for it.

Instead we men are forced to figure it out as we go.  My first place to start was with a moral compass, a framework by which decisions could be made on what a daddy should do.  Here’s what I came up with:

1) A daddy is to provide for his family
2) A daddy is to protect his family
3) A daddy is to be the spiritual leader of the family, from ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties, and things that go bump in the night.
4) A daddy has to spend consistent and ample time with his family
5) A daddy who has only girls, has to have tea parties, play dress up with dollies and paint finger nails
6) A daddy also has to be boyish (tell off color jokes, be a little gross/socially unacceptable, tooting/burping then laughing about it is absolutely necessary.)
7) A daddy has to be a role model; work, play, patience, social interactions, discipline, etc.
8) A daddy has to change poopey diapers every once in a while- that’s right, we get the good as well as the bad (really bad)
9) A daddy has to be able to spend time alone with his girls – no mommy help/supervision.
10) A daddy has to say “I love you” to his girls every day (“love ya” doesn’t count)

It’s a work in progress but you have to start somewhere.