Healthy SoFlo Issue 49 - Menprovement: A Hub Design to Improve Men's Lives

5 REASONS
MEN ARE
BETTER
PARENTS
Dads are awesome. Not every dad, but men
generally bring a different vibe to a kid's
childhood that I sometimes really envy.
There are aspects of my husband's parenting that I
just can't mimic; it's his, he's the dad, and he rocks.
I stay home with our four young kids and Brian
works the 8-5. Our separate lives make for some
interesting discussions at the end of the day- we
always have such different stories to tell as he's all
out there and I'm all at home in sweat pants wiping
butts. Our traditional setup also brings a certain
dynamic to our parenthood, and every once in
awhile I'm floored by what an awesome dad Brian
is. I see these things in other dads a lot of the time
too, and hey, if we can sing the praises of our men,
we should!
I know that my husband is a certain personality
type, he has a certain love language, he's his own
person, plus he's a total gem, so I can't generalize
too much, but just roll with my points. My purpose
in this post is to inspire you to see the positives
about your hubby and switch into gratitude mode
for the different dynamic he brings into your
family. A thankful heart is everything.
THEY KNOW HOW TO GET DOWN
01 AND HAVE FUN WITH THE KIDS.
More often than not, Brian's after-dinner time
is spent on the ground with four tiny humans
crawling all over him, accidentally kicking him in
the junk. He just takes the hit, breathes deep and
keeps on playing. He'll get a big blanket over him
and crawl around growling. The kids call this "the
rock monster game," and they never laugh harder
than when they're playing this with their dad. He's
the one who does all the funny talk about poop
and butt cracks and silly things that little kids find
absolutely hilarious. Brian knows how to make
them laugh, and his to-do list rarely gets in the
way of sitting on the floor and engaging in his kids'
happiness.
THEY HAVE AERIAL VISION AND
02 LOGIC IN A CRISIS.
A few weeks ago I had a meltdown. It seemed
there was always a big mess to clean up
somewhere in the house and nothing was flowing.
I felt like I had no help at all, and I couldn't keep
up with anything, plus I had just added in working
several hours a day on growing my blog into a
second income and had no balance. My meltdown
occurred near the end of the day right when Brian
walked through the door. He stood in the living
room just listening to my rant, and after it was
done, he was quiet. A few minutes later he called
the kids downstairs and gave them a talk about
chores.
HEALTHY KIDS · JUNE 2017
After about ten minutes he had them cleaning the
whole upstairs, and He'd set up a daily list for them
to accomplish before they even come down for
breakfast in the mornings. They have actually done
what he said most mornings since that day. Why?
Because when Brian speaks to the kids about
something, it's serious and he means business;
they know that. Also because I am always talking
to them and I admit, lecturing them, so when Dad
says something it sounds new and tends to stick.
Brian comes into a crisis like a helicopter, with a
bird's eye view, scans the situation with his logic
and can come up with a practical and effective
solution, all while remaining totally calm while I'm
a tired basket case. I need that because sometimes
I'm so caught up in the chaos that I can't see the
obvious solution.
THEY DON'T "LOSE IT."
03LIKE WE DO.
This one sort of goes with number two, and
it's probably specific to men like my husband
rather than all men, but so worth mentioning. I
am temperamental, and that is my biggest issueanger.
I can take so much, and then I fly off the
handle and just lose it. Brian really doesn't do this.
He is calm, collected, and reasonable basically all
the time. He's my Mr. Steady, and I am so thankful
my kids have him as the other parent for some
balance to my crazy.
THEY LET THE KIDS USE THEM
04 AS JUNGLE GYMS, AND AREN'T
SICK OF BEING TOUCHED AT THE END
OF THE DAY.
I don't know why but kids always want to get
physical energy out between the hours of 5 & 7
PM, even if we spent the whole day at the park.
The problem is by this time of day; I am done. I
have been pulled on, tapped a thousand times, my
ears are talked off, my patience is worn thin, and
everybody better back off. Brian walks in the door
and is usually still fresh, at least when it comes
to the kids. He hasn't been dealing with them all
day, and he missed them, so he's ready to wrestle
and play and let them be loud. This is my favorite
hubby feature because it allows me to pour a
glass of wine and cook in peace, usually with
headphones in. Heaven.
ALLIE CASAZZA is The
Purposeful Housewife. She
is all about helping you
purge the clutter that's
clogging your joy, rediscover
the purpose in your days,
and live with intention.
Learn more about Allie @
thepurposefulhousewife.
05
THEY SHOW THEIR KIDS THAT
THEY LOVE THEIR MOM.
Again, I know not all husbands are like mine, but
this is a big one. Brian loves physical touch, and
he's very affectionate; I am naturally the opposite
in both ways. At the end of the day, the last
thing I'm thinking about is showing our kids how
much we love each other [something that kids
desperately need to see], but Brian takes care
of that for me. He is always running his fingers
through my hair, looking into my eyes, rubbing
my back, reaching for my hand, kissing me, or
gesturing for me to snuggle into him on the
couch. The kids see that, and I love it. They are
seeing what a good man looks like.
10 HEALTHY MAGAZINE