A few years ago, we asked our dad readers to help us write our Father’s Day post.  We thought you would enjoy hearing from them again. The dads completed this thought: “Before I became a dad, I never thought I’d…”

…Learn to curl hair for cheerleading competitions

 

…BE RESPONSIBLE

 

…Become a stay at home dad AND love it so much after everything I’ve been through!!

 

…Learn all of the names of Thomas The Tank Engine’s friends and the many songs associated with them.

 

…Have a toys r us in my house.

 

…Go food shopping at midnight.

…Make so many pancakes on Sunday mornings.

…Volunteer in a dunk tank and have pie thrown at me.

 

One of our readers summed up his thoughts on becoming a dad:

Since I’ve become a father, nearly seven years and two beautiful daughters later, my life has become a series of jobs that I never thought I would have to tackle. These include:

Beautician: I never thought in a million years that I would be learning how to do pony tails, side pony’s, braids (not that I can braid yet), and painting little finger and toe nails.

Disney Princess Aficionado: At one point in my life I thought I was cool because I knew a lot about beer, how it was made, where it was from, where the best IPA’s were being poured. Now I am “cool” because I know where Mulan lived, and because I know the story about Ariel falling in love with Prince Eric.

Doctor: I am well versed here and can cover almost everything from the simple band-aid application and boo-boo kissing, to the complex answering of why daddy is different and why he gets to go to the bathroom standing up.

Cheerleader: Both of my daughters enjoy participating in sports. It’s been such a great experience to cheer them both on from the side line. I enjoy watching them grow with the sport and gain confidence game after game.

Becoming a father was one of the best choices I have made with my life. I love being a dad, and I look forward to the future dad challenges, good and bad, and being the best mentor I can be.

Thank you to our readers for contributing to this post.

Happy Father’s Day!

Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD

©2014, 2017 Two Peds in a Pod®

 

©2016 Two Peds in a Pod®

Enjoy Father’s Day, and enjoy the following poem written by our pediatrician colleague at CHOP Care Network Newtown, Dr. Bob Sasson. It depicts a common parenting quandary.– Drs. Kardos & Lai

The New Bicycle

Bursting with Joy

She mounts her new bicycle

Pink and blue streamers

Extend from the white rubber grips

At the end of the shining handlebars

 

With unbridled excitement

She presses down hard on the pedals

The wheels begin to turn

 

She giggles with glee

Smiling at the neighbors

As she moves quickly past the nearby houses

Her youthful energy exuberant

Spilling over with an abundance

Of Vitality and Joy

 

Turning back to see her parents approving eyes

She smiles…loses her focus…

The bicycle tumbling to the ground

A scrape of her knee…a trickle of blood

A moment of Hesitation

Looking back again

Awaiting her parent’s cues

 

How will they respond?

 

How would you?

 

By Robert Sasson, MD

Visions of Thought

A collection of inspirational imagery and poetry, 2008