Dream: It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s … Super Daddy! It’s Father’s Day, and I am flying through the sky with my daddy. He is wearing his superhero uniform (which is already stained from playing with me) and I am his little sidekick. As we fly, he holds me up with only his pinky finger. Whee! Together, we can do anything!
Reality: Daddy is the most fun person in the world. He comes up with the best games and is always inventive, wild, and crazy. From the early baby days when he would carry me around in one arm and the puppy in the other, he has always known how to make me giggle. Daddy is so strong that he can throw me high in the sky and still catch me: I fly just like a birdie! He twists and twirls me and makes me giggle so hard it hurts. Daddy also bounces me better than anyone–even my ride-on zebra. And Daddy can hut, hut, hike me up like a football or spin me around upside down. Yahoo! Daddy always has terrific tricks up his sleeves that even he didn’t know he could think of.
When the week day is winding down and I hear the door open, I immediately drop everything (literally) and run to greet Daddy. I scream, “Daddy, Daddy!” with my most enthusiastic soprano voice and run directly into his arms for a big, daddy hug. Now I need to figure out how to top this sensational display of affection on this special day coming up called Father’s Day (I wonder why they don’t just call it Daddy’s Day?).
To get ready for the big day, I practice with my baby doll. Usually, when I am with Mommy, I feed baby some food, share my milk, get her dressed, comb her hair, and give her play time and a bath. But with Daddy, baby likes to roughhouse. So I throw baby up in the air again and again (I only drop her a couple of times–not bad for a beginner!). Next, I feed her and make her say “Yum, yum!” in a pirate voice. Then, right after she eats, I spin her as fast as I can until we both fall down!
My energy level is so high and so is baby’s. Mommy says to calm down, so I do what Daddy would do and run and snatch baby up for a great big hug and just as our arms embrace she flies up into the air. Baby is having the best time! I pull her in for another hug and a kiss right on top of her head–her favorite spot. Daddy always knows just the right spot to kiss and hug and tickle. Daddy does things different than Mommy and I love that about him.
Daddy reads me books in hilarious voices (you should hear his Fluffy voice), makes napkins resemble pouring rain at restaurants when I get bored, tells me funny stories based on our favorite books (like A Bad Case of Stripes), bounces balls over my entire body… the list goes on and on! And when we are not wearing our silly pants, Daddy is the best person for me to cuddle with (and sometimes even fall asleep on) after our adventures. Daddy wouldn’t tell you, but he is a big mush. I had him wrapped around my finger from the moment I was born when I grasped his pinky with my newborn reflex. Even then, I knew a good thing when I saw it–I knew to hold on tight to Daddy and never let him go.
Father’s Day will be extra special this year since I can take Daddy out to eat and actually share his meal (his food always tastes better even when he says it’s the same). I will do all the fun things he likes to do (after the mostly successful practice rounds with my baby doll). It’s going to be an incredible day and I cannot wait to honor and love my daddy. We should all give our daddies a great big daddy hug and sweet baby kiss on Father’s Day. And I will tell Mommy to let Daddy throw me up in the air higher than ever!
