To My Daughter's Dad

Dear Jay,

Happy Father's Day!  Beck would say it but she's too little to understand and also if I said "do you hope Daddy has a good day?" she would say noooooo like the budding comedian/jerk that she is.  

So I'll say it.  I hope you have a good day!  I hope you get to watch golf and that Beck doesn't scream too much and that we eat yummy food and attempt to relax even though relaxing with an 18 month old is funny to even contemplate.  

Seeing you parent and parenting with you is just the most fun.  I know that you're sometimes jealous that I get to be home more with Beck and I'm jealous that you have a job you love and get to be the financially successful, favorite, fun parent.  Those things might always be true (there is no way I'll be more fun than you ever), but mainly I like that 90% of the time we know that we're on the same side.  We've worked things out so that Beck gets as much time as possible with both of us and is well cared for by family when we can't be with her.  We both work, we both play, we both parent.  We contribute in different ways that build our family and keep our world turning in the way we want it to. 

You're braver than me as a parent, you know?  You do more of the throwing, more of the swimming, more of the physical stuff that Beck totally needs to not grow up a sissy with no muscle tone.  I worry that I'd mess it up (in a severed spinal cord way), but you are so confident and good at it and I only have thought you were going to kill her about 8,736 times, which isn't bad.  You give Beck things that I can't and don't want to, and I'm glad for her because of it.  

Thanks for being nice to Callie, too.  I know you miss Jake, and I know he was your favorite (he was everyone's favorite, let's just say it), but I appreciate you softening to her in the last few months.  She's lonely, and I'm grateful that she gets extra walks and brushes and forced cuddles because of you.  

This time next week we'll be ... stranded in the pouring rain in Belize, in all honestly, and even though it might not be quite the adventure we hope for, sitting in a cabin reading and resting and planning for the rest of this year with you sounds like a perfect way to close out the first half of 2018.  

Cheers, big ears.  I love you.