5 Things Dads Want Their Wives To Know
Dads are a unique bunch. We tend to be affable individuals who are prepared to adjust to the ever-changing demands of our children and spouses. We are expected to put ourselves second or third and to lose the shitty attitude and be thankful we are part of the family at all. That being said, we tend not to be the best communicators so I’ve put together a list of 5 Things Dads Want Our Wives To Know.
Dads Love Our Kids
We assume you know more about parenting than we do. We LOVE our kids and want what’s best for them and we assume you know what’s best for them. It’s unlikely we’ll do any long-term damage if left to our devices but when we defer to you it’s because we are assuming you’ve read something or have a natural intuition about a given topic. It’s not fair or right but it’s true.
Opinions and Decisions
It’s not that we don’t care, we just know you care more. From what the kids wear on a play date to wrapping paper choices to how to fold a fitted sheet, we care. We have an opinion. We just know that you care more than we do about these decisions. So we’ll defer on making a decision until we know how you feel about the given topic. Dads are prepared to make a decision, we just don’t want to be wrong.
“Later” Isn’t Supposed To Be A Lie
When we say “we’ll get to it later” we really, honestly believe what we are saying. It’s not necessarily a stall tactic (sometimes it is) but we just weren’t expecting to be asked to clean the garage, do the dishes, mow the lawn, or re-shingle the roof at this exact moment and we’d like to finish whatever is we were doing first. Is what we are doing important? Probably not, but we’ll get to your thing afterward.
Dads and Hand Washing
We wash our hands more thoroughly when you are around. My wife constantly reminds me and my two boys to wash our hands after we touch any surface and we try our best, but it’s just not on our radar as a priority despite being told several times a day. So when I know she’s around I make a production out of the process so she knows we are capable of doing it correctly.
Little White Lies – For YOUR Sake
Assume about half of what we tell you is a “little white lie”. This is NOT about deception or trust. This is about not wanting you to worry about something that is not worrisome to us as dads.
“Did you wipe that down that counter?” – “Yup”
“Did you make the kids brush their teeth?” – “Sure did”
“What did the mechanic say about that noise?” – “Said it was fine, nothing to worry about.”
All lies in an attempt to put your mind at ease and then we say a little prayer that you don’t check the counter, ask the kids about their teeth, or that the breaks don’t fail.
Not All Dads
Now, before the hate starts pouring into the comments section, I recognize this is not all dads. This is not for all marriages. There are exceptions to every rule and everyone’s situation is different. BUT, if you aren’t sure about where your husband stands, show him this article and see how he reacts.
- Anxiety, Mental Health and Me - January 31, 2023
- 5 Things Dads Want Their Wives To Know - November 28, 2022
- Just Show Up: A Dad’s Guide to Receiving WAY More Credit Than We Deserve - October 18, 2022