A tribute to Craig on his first Father's Day

Craig is in some ways a typical dad. He riles Belle up with tickles, tosses her in the air, and can't wait until she is old enough for him to rough-house with her. He complains about poopy diapers but changes them when he has to, and he can't seem to buy her enough toys (he would spoil her rotten if he could). In most other ways, though, Craig is head and shoulders above the typical dad. He bought and reads the books on parenting, he seeks advice from other parents, and he has an opinion about Belle's wardrobe (which speaks more to Craig being a fledgling fashionista). Ultimately, Craig is a great father and a wonderful parenting partner.

I read ans shared with Craig an article in a parenting magazine by a man who wrote a book for men becoming fathers. The author argued that if women included men more in the parenting process, there would be no need for such a book. Craig disagreed with this, nearly to the point of being offended. To Craig, it's not up to me as the mother to invite Craig to be involved in parenting. Craig is co-pilot; it is his responsibility to involve himself in all things related to his child. And Craig truly has involved himself in Belle's life. He joined me at all but one prenatal doctor visit and held my hand (and bag) at each appointment. He read What to Expect When You're Expecting, What to Expect the First Year, books and notes on sleep training, and he further researches answers to his questions online. Defying the stereotype about a mother's nesting instinct, Craig was the driving force behind our crib and stroller shopping. He read up on the best places to shop and made sure we built a thorough registry before Belle arrived.

While biologically and practically, most of the day-to-day Belle-duties fall on me, the stay-at-home-mom, Craig makes a huge effort to be as involved as he can be. He, for instance, missed only one bath night before Belle could sit up on her own in the tub (this is an especially impressive feat since he at the time worked over 60 miles away from our home). Craig has never waited for an invitation to participate in any aspect of parenting; he feels there is no need for an invitation to a job that is his. He is the father- one half of Belle- and tries very hard, despite commuting to his full-time job and juggling other responsibilities, to shoulder half of the load as Belle's parent.

And Belle certainly appreciates him. The way Belle's face lights up when she sees Craig is heart-warming. Belle can't seem to wipe a huge wide-mouthed smile off her face whenever she is around her daddy. She reaches for him when he walked into the room; she can't get into his arms fast enough.

Craig is a wonderful father to Belle, and a helpful, supportive, loving partner to me. Happy First Father's Day, Craig!