Kaylee (my 5 year-old daughter) maps out the family’s Halloween costumes beginning November 1st, every year. Yep. A year out. She really loves it. We’ve always encouraged her to play dress-up and pretend, so it’s only natural that she would love Halloween, where you get to play dress-up AND people give you candy. This past year we were the main characters from Frozen. Kaylee was (of course) Elsa. Her little brother, Ben, was the cutest Olaf you’ve ever seen – and Elena and I were Anna and Kristoff. We were adorable.
We went with some friends to a festive event at City Park and had a lovely time – but when your kids are 5 and 2, parents know, you often have to divide and conquer. Elena hit up the rides with Kaylee and her friends while Ben and I got some daddy time, strolling through the crowds, admiring costumes and trying to make each other smile. I manned the stroller, guarded the candy and held purses.
It’s an honorable job, being Dad.
We joked that I was on babysitting duty, but as Julie (Yes, the Julie from LifeSongs) has pointed out to me, you babysit other people’s kids – not your own. I LOVE being a parent. Nothing in all of life parallels our relationship with God more acutely than the parent/child relationship. I have learned more about God’s love and patience since becoming a daddy than all other life experiences combined.
I hope my generation will be a part of turning the tide on the thirty year trend of absent fathers. Is being a dad hard work? Duh-doi. Is it worth it? Oh yes! From kissing boo-boos to candy guard duty, there’s no time like daddy time!
