My Baby Belles' Daddy

***I realize that this blog entry is a bit late, but I was busy making Father's Day as perfect as possible for my beloved.  I opened pressurized biscuit cans.  Did I mention that?  Yes, I opened pressurized biscuit cans.  My bravery knows no bounds.   

It’s a sad, sad thing, but having a father in this day and age is more of a luxury than a certainty.  Yes, of course it takes two to tango, but many fathers act like nothing more than drive-by sperm donors and some fathers don’t even deserve that much credit.

My Baby Belles are lucky beyond the telling of it.  They are blessed to be able to open their sweet little eyes in the morning to see their daddy and hear his voice and they are so fortunate to be able snuggle in bed at night and tell their father about their day.  He relishes reading The Hungry Caterpillar to Baby Belle 2 and hearing about Baby Belle 1’s high jump rope score.  If you think the look on his face when his girls come running at him as he walks in the door says it all, you should see the happy look on the faces of the Baby Belles. 

So, what are Scott’s super cool Daddy Powers?  Well, there’s a big ‘ol pile to choose from, but I’ll see if I can cull the top of the crop.

1.      THE BABY WHISPERER:  The man is the best snuggler in the history of the universe.  He radiates heat like you wouldn’t believe.  Of course, my beloved was known for his tranquilizing abilities before the Baby Belles hit the scene:  When his niece and nephews were little and pitching a squall, Uncle Scotty would pick them up and, after a little chat and a little quiet time, they were out like a light.

As you might imagine, the Baby Belles don’t stand a chance against Daddy when it comes to bedtime and nap time.  Daddy pulls the precious pumpkins onto his lap and—if they achieve stillness for any appreciable period of time—zzzzzzzzzzzz...goners.

I will caveat that Captain Snuggles can have a down side.  Back when Scott and I were dating, he could take me to a movie, put his warm arm around my shoulder and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

It was understandably bothersome for Scott to fork out money for tickets and a jillion dollars’ worth of snacks just to have me sack out shortly after the previews.  We just hold hands now.

2.      “WE CAN REBUILD IT, WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY:”  The man has a degree in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University.  His personal motto is “Go Big or Go Home.”  What does that translate to?  Daddy can fix anything!

He found the Baby Belles one of those battery powered cars that kids can drive around in the yard.  The vehicle was a Jeep and it was in really good condition, but was it good enough for Mr. Council?  Are you on crack??? 

No, Scott actually put the toy car up on blocks in the garage and pimped his toddlers’ ride before they were allowed to get in and crank it up.  The Jeep now sports actual brake lights, turn signals and a radio.  I’m not sure if he removed the speed restrictor plate on the Belles’ Jeep like he did with our niece, but I sincerely hope not since our children can’t seem to learn to apply the brakes and instead choose the “running into a bush” method.   

Yep, Daddy can fix anything.  If “it” isn’t broken, no worries:  Daddy can make it better—stronger, faster, more powerful!!!  The Baby Belles are so proud of their Daddy’s skills that they brag and have even been known to loan him out to only very deserving people on occasion.  They won’t even allow me the opportunity to try and fix something—granted, I usually do end up saying, “Okay, I can’t do it, go get Daddy.”

Just a couple of weeks ago, Baby Belle 2 came up to me with a marker that had run dry and said, “This needs batteries.  It won’t work.  Where’s Daddy?”

3.      THE TOUGH GUY:  By far, the hardest of all Scott’s super powers is his ability to be the tough guy when the situation calls for it.  Let’s face it, I am the wussiest wuss in all of Wussville.  It’s easy for a parent to get sucked in by big eyes glistening with tears and cute little bottom lips all poked out and quivering, but it’s a zillion times harder for a parent to say “no” because it’s the right thing to do. 

When a parental “no” sparks loud and dramatic temper tantrums, it’s very easy to cave in to the gnashing of teeth, wailing and rending of garments and tell yourself, “Oh, for the love of all that is holy, just one won’t be the end of the world if it will make her stop!”  It takes a spine of steel to not give in for a temporary fix for a larger and deeper problem.

You know what makes being The Tough Guy hardest of all?  The fact that your children don’t understand why you are doing what you do.  Sure, you can explain it all you want, but kids who aren’t getting their immediate desires addressed aren’t going to hear a single thing you say.  The Tough Guy somehow has to be content with the knowledge that what he is doing will make a better person in the long run.  That takes what we call balls.

Yes, Mr. Snuggle, Mr. Fix It and Mr. Tough guy are but a few examples of what makes Scott a wonderful father.  He loves his girls with all his heart.  He takes care of them and he makes them feel safe.  He hugs them when the need hugging, he wipes away the [often profuse] tears and he patches up the booboos.  He is an outstanding tea party guest, a professional level tickler and he plays a mean game of hide-and-go-seek.  It’s such a shame that we have to have a special date reserved for fathers in order to tell them how much they mean to us, but Scott can look in the smiling faces of his little Baby Belles (and the smiling face of his wife) and see the love.