What makes your partner such a good parent?

[Brookamy]

I am really lucky. My dh is a great dad. He gets of work at 3:30 p.m. and picks Lindsey up everyday at daycare. He spends so much time with Lindsey and is willing to take her with him anywhere. He also puts her to bed every night (I do bath, he does bedtime). Brett is constantly telling her how amazing she is, how smart she is and how much he loves her. Lots of hugs and kisses too. Lindsey is such a daddy's girl. :nod: They definitely have a special bond. :heart:

What things does your partner, significant other, dh, or dw do that make him or her a great parent in your eyes?

[Dennis]

I can't even begin to describe what a great mother Mary is. She is just so loving and caring and patient with Joe and Frances. I can't think of anything specific right now, it's just the way she interacts with them.

Dennis

[Karri]

mother Mary
sorry...i've got the Beetles in my head now :lol:

Ok...

I dont know if I can put my finger on it, either. Chris is great with the kids. He gets up with them every morning, and he does bath and bedtime routines with all 3 kids. They all adore daddy so much! They think he's the biggest ball of fun!

[bunybomb]

I'll have to come back and post. I'm too weepy right now from everyone's answers. :lol:

[Silke]

I'll have to come back and post. I'm too weepy right now from everyone's answers. :lol:
:rotflmao:

David gets the kids ready in the morning and brings them where they need to go. He knows that I am really busy at work and work lots of times at home after all of them are in bed so he keeps them away from me on weekend mornings so that I can sleep in here and there. :) The kiddos just love him. He is Kyle's other pillow. :lol:

[MelissaM]

James was born to be a father. It's really as simple and as monumental as that :) I allude to my husband sometimes in different posts but really...I can't even begin to describe what he is as a father - and as a husband in fact. No one would believe me or everyone would hate me :lol: :awink:

All I can really say is that James is a good parent because he sees us as partners. Melissa and James - two people yet one person. I can't say that there is one thing that I do with the children that he doesn't do as well. He gets up at night, he holds them when they are sick, he rocks them to sleep, he has heart to heart talks with Jennifer, he plays, he cooks, he cleans, he listens, he cares - he loves.

Excuse me...I have to go give my man a hug....

[Mary]

Dennis is a wonderful father. He loves to spend time with the kids and plans his own activities around what the kids are doing and their naps, etc. He is great at playing with them, being silly with them and being patient. He drops them off and picks them up from daycare every day and even though they can be super crabby when he picks them up, he still is really patient. I know that he misses lots of things that he used to do more frequently, like mountain bike and ski, but he likes spending time with the kids. He is just a wonderful father!

Mary

[Lora]

Ed is a fantastic father because he participates in all aspects of taking care of the boys. He has given up alot of the things that he enjoyed doing in order to do activities that involve the boys. He has never complained once about being a father. I love him so much more now that he is father. I know he will always be here for me and the boys!

Lora

[Amy]

Darrell is phenomenal. He's better than I am actually at giving medicine, and very very patient. Emily's had pink eye since Thursday, and he did the first couple doses of eye drops, as well as her bedtime dose after he gets home. He does bath duty, story time, bedtime, gets up with them when they are sick (as long as he doesn't have to work the next day, since he works 12 1/2 hour shifts), and shares in fixing meals/bottles. Gets them dressed, although the intricacies of tights are a bit tough. Even attempts hairdo's and ponytails for Emily! His girls absolutely adore their daddy, and they are super close. He goes to as many of their dr appts as he can, and usually stays with the one getting shots while I take the other one to the waiting room. He's very very involved, and can tell anyone who asks how many teeth they have, diaper size, clothing size, and favorite toy/story.

I got very lucky!!

[Brookamy]

James was born to be a father. It's really as simple and as monumental as that :) I allude to my husband sometimes in different posts but really...I can't even begin to describe what he is as a father - and as a husband in fact. No one would believe me or everyone would hate me :lol: :awink:

All I can really say is that James is a good parent because he sees us as partners. Melissa and James - two people yet one person. I can't say that there is one thing that I do with the children that he doesn't do as well. He gets up at night, he holds them when they are sick, he rocks them to sleep, he has heart to heart talks with Jennifer, he plays, he cooks, he cleans, he listens, he cares - he loves.

Excuse me...I have to go give my man a hug....

Ahhh....:bawl: I want to give your husband a hug!!! He sounds great Melissa!

[MelissaM]

Ahhh....:bawl: I want to give your husband a hug!!! He sounds great Melissa!

James is my gift :) He is my reward for surviving a horrendous time in my life. I honestly don't know what I would do without him :) I plan on never finding out actually :)

[Brookamy]

That is a great way to view him, Melissa. I am glad that you are so happy. I think that if more people thought of their significant others as gifts, the world would be a better place.

[bunybomb]

This thread makes me cry. It's so positive and wonderful.

Chris is a great dad. When he's not a work (which unfortunately is a lot) his kids are it. He helps Dylan with her math homework every night. He plays silly, repetitive games with Alex every night when he gets home. Chris has to work at least 50 hours a week but still makes his kids his number 1 priority when he is home. Weekends are time with his family. He doesn't do many activities without us. In fact, it's so rare, I try to set something up for him. :lol:

I travel for business occassionally and it's tough on him because it conflicts so much with his work schedule. He manages it though and looks at it as a time to develop a special bond with his kids. No interference from Mommy.

[AmyP]

Awww....what a nice thread!!!

Rob is an excellent father. He's so patient with Sarah (moreso than I am, I think). He's really busy with work and grad school, but he still makes time for Sarah and me. He's never once complained about changing diapers, and we're using cloth! He gave me a lot of support and encouragement when we were struggling with BFing. I'm sure I would have given it up long ago if he hadn't encouraged me to keep trying and stick it out. There have been times when I was just at my wits end with Sarah and he took her off my hands for a little while so I could relax, get some sleep, etc. :)

[gulp!]

Anish is an amazing dad as well, for all the reasons that everyone else is listing. When Emma was born, he took a year off to stay home with her. They have such a strong bond because of that. He participates in all aspects of parenting, and bath time is always daddy's time. He loves to take one of them grocery shopping with him, and often gets them ready while I'm trying to take a shower or finish getting ready for work.

He's definitely a fun daddy, and my kids' eyes just light up when they see him. (As do mine!) :biggrin:

[Brooke]

I'm jealous!

[Shel]

Oh gosh. Where should I start? David takes Owen every other morning so I can sleep in. He has changed his fair share of diapers and given more bottles and baths than I can count. He's always hugging and kissing the kids, helps with laundry, taxis kids here and there, has special games he plays with Riley and is working 60 hours a week so I can stay at home.

But the best of all, is that he accepted Kaleb and Jake when we got married and has always treated them as his own, calls them his own, and cries and laughs with them like they are his own.

[Mrs.Greevy]

my DH is a wonderful husband and father. He gives himself totally to the girls and to me. When the girls cry he will get up with them and calm them down, he'll hold Kiera all night long if it is needed. I could go on and on....

He is my patience and the love of my life and I am truly blessed to have him.

[Lady E]

I complain alot about my DH but it could never be in the father department. HE is the best to me and with having twins that is a godsend. When they were newborns, even before I returned to work he would take them for 5 hours (7pm-12 a.m.) so that I could have 5 consecutive hours of rest/sleep. He did everything that I did, made bottles, changed diapers, gave baths, got them dressed, got up in the middle of the night, takes them to dr appts., care for them while sick, and the list goes on. Now that they are bigger he is still just as involved. He gives them their vitamins every morning, puts on their shoes/sneakers, coats and hats and drops them off to the babysitter. We alternate bathnights, and there are many things he does better than me such as giving medicine, brushing teeth (I actually just brushed their teeth for the 1st time this weekend :blush: ), and being more patient. He takes them to the park in the summer, plays with them outside when I'm busy. OK, you get the point now, right :lol:

He is my ROCK and could never imagine raising our twins without him!

ETA: I just had to stick in that he gets up with them at 6 a.m. on the weekends and lets me sleep in late ;)

[Trish]

Chad is a really great dad and while I may feel he doesn't do enough of the not-so-fun stuff with them(diaper changes, baths, bedtimes, etc), he does spend lots of time playing with them and he is so patient with Aden and is the reason that Aden learned his letters, numbers and states so early. Both of the boys just light up and scream with delight when they see him and I couldn't ask for a better father of my children.

[mommyLil]

What a great idea for a thread!!

I can not begin to say enough good things about Karl as a dad. He is 100% my partner in this, I feel I can rely on him to be there for Nick (and belly baby ) no matter what the circumstances.

He's a good dad because he gives Nick 100%, he puts him first. He loves him with all his heart. He's a good husband because he got that my morning sickness made diaper changes tough and has done most poopies since then, he's a good husband because even though I'm nursing he gets up with me when Nick wakes and helps comfort him in any way and provides moral support and comfort when Nick is up at all hours of the night. He's a great father because his face lights up with love whenever Nick does something cute, because he goes running when he cries. He's willing to do what it takes to care for our son, willing to put him first in all circumstances and just willing to love him with all his heart and soul. I can't describe in words how lucky I am to be raising my children with him I couldn't have asked them to have a better dad.

[Chantal]

I admit, I complain about my Dh... but like others have said -- in the Daddy department... he is incredible. Lately he has been slipping in the area of patience... but Kaitlyn is also learning to try and push her limits further now that she is 3 yrs old :rolleyes: We, ALL need to find a happy medium there...


However, back to Dh -- he was the first to change Kaitlyn's bum at the hospital (I had a rough labor and ended up in a c-section and didnt recover very well due to the drugs I was pumped up with)... He cleaned those meconium poops without even batting an eye. Dh had NEVER held a child, let alone changed a diaper in his pre-Kaitlyn days.

When I was nursing, Dh would get up and bring Kaitlyn to me and never complained about it. Even to this day, he still gets up in the middle of the night to care for Kaitlyn.

Every day, Kaitlyn greets him at the door with a HUGE "DADDY!!!! You're home!!!!" and runs to his open arms :) That is something I will never get to experience, as a WAHM. But I dont mind - he deserves that special moment with her :)

Dh completely adores his little girl, and it melts me to see him sitting on the couch watching tv with her, talking to her, or rolling on the floor playing with her.

She made him a cute heart decoration for valentines day - and DH insisted that it be hung on our bedroom door, so that he can see it every morning when he gets ready for work... also - for the longest time he wouldnt let me clean Kaitlyns handprints on the mirror on his armoire - because he liked looking at her little hands as he got dressed for work :) (I eventually did clean them up, after Kaitlyn tried licking the prints off :lol: ).

Dh has even taken Kaitlyn to visit his mother for a weekend (she lives 5 hours away) - without me! He jumped right into the roll of Daddy and has never looked back. It makes me proud to see him with her - and see him ENJOY being with her. Especially, since Dh didnt have any sort of a relationship with his father growing up.

He is kind, calm and relaxed with Kaitlyn - and you can see it in Kaitlyn's demeanor... she is very much like her father.

[sheila]

Stagg is a great dad because he always makes time for the girls. And since he's working 90+ hours a week, its actually a pretty big deal that he is (almost) always the one to give them their bath and out them to bed. And they both LOVE it. He is a wondeful bath time guy... they have fun, they sing and laugh and splash. I so do not have the patience for that at night!

[MamaGoofy]

:bawl: What a great thread and such wonderful stories!!

Dave is a great parent because of many reasons. When David was first born I was out of it. The first day Dave changed his yucky meconium (sp) diapers and didn't hesitate one bit. He had never changed a diaper in his life so this was really special. I love the way he plays with David. He's so fun and childlike himself. They go outside while I cook dinner and play with the ball or ride bikes. One time I went to check to see what was going on (they had gotten really quiet) and they were sitting out back eating tangerines and just talking. Totally melted my heart. Dave is so patient, caring and loving. He is a great father and has stepped up into the roll from day one. I am truly blessed to be married to such a wonderful man. He is my equal and my heart and soul. Without him by my side I would be utterly lost!