Dad

Growing up, there were never clear cut gender roles in my household and often times, the traditional ones were reversed. Both my Mom and Dad went to work each morning; they took turns packing our lunches and dropping us off at school; household chores were shared; no job was too macho for my mom and no job was too dainty for my dad.

That being said, it was always difficult to find a Father's Day card that fit. The power tool, golf, and beer belly themes hardly resonated. I would search and search for a card that expressed my love for a Speedo Dad. Or an impeccably dressed Dad. I never found a card that talked about a Dad that could sing the harmony while playing the melody on the piano. Or better yet, a Dad that saved children's lives during the day and gardened, cooked, and braided his little girl's hair before she went to bed at night. Often I was forced to go with a generic 'Super Dad' card or the do-it-yourself route, colored pencils in tow.  

This year, while disappointed once again in the selection of cards that spoke to my father, I was pleasantly surprised with the selection that related to Mary's Dad. My husband - the grilling, beer loving, hunting, fishing Mr. Fix It perfectly fits within the marketed 'dad' role. The problem was, even then Hallmark's words and images couldn't detail just how good Peter is at filling that role.

He's not just any old griller, he's a grill master.
He's not just a fisherman, he's a striper saboteur. 
He's not just a beer drinker, he's a beer connoisseur. 
He's not just any old great dad, he's an all-star.

And the big thing missing was something that both my Dad and Mary's Dad do all to well; that is, quietly, calmly making sure everyone in the house gets a good night sleep.


If I ever had a bad dream as a little girl, I would run into my parents room, seeking consolation. While the ultimate goal was to climb up in bed next to my mom, my Dad would always lead me back to my twin bed and sit down next to me. Gently he would pat my back with his strong hand and whether is was the rhythmic sound or the comforting feeling like his heart was beating into mine, quickly the nightmares would disappear and once again I would fall into a deep sleep. I never remember the pats stopping or my Dad leaving the room, the whole house was asleep before then.

Peter has a similar ability to lull Mary to sleep at nap time and bed time, giving both me and her countless hours of precious slumber over the past three months. Honestly, Peter has been the anchor of our little family, keeping everyone cool, calm, collected, and above all rested when it's been needed most.

So even though his 'little grill' got him a pretty cute card yesterday, she wrote a new one, just for her special daddy today. (Okay, I wrote it, but it's supposed to be in her voice.)

Right after Mommy reads me Goodnight Moon.
Or Goodnight Pittsburgh, Chicago and Cape Cod.
Right after she thinks I'm asleep and dozes off too.
I open my little eyes and give the baby monitor a nod.
You come to my rescue and we escape to the baby cave. 
It's our special place, designed for just you and me.
There we sing Go, Cubs, Go! We call Rizzo SAFE!
We talk home brews, the Weber, and all the fish in the sea.
I love you for one last bottle.
For tummy time and helping me to toddle. 
I love you for making your special place into mine.
And for rocking me to sleep until the sun shines. 


To my Dad and Mary's Dad, thank you for always helping us sleep so soundly.

  Lo.