Thank you for showing our boys what it takes to be a real man

Thank you for wiping away their tears, and showing them that expressing their feelings is healthy and important.

Dear husband,

When I married you, I knew you would be a great dad. It’s part of the reason I was so excited to start a family with you. But what I didn’t expect, was falling in love with you more and more every day, as we raise our boys together.

I know the running joke in our family is that I did all the hard work, carrying and delivering both of our sons. But somehow they are your clones, and you simply Xeroxed yourself….twice. I see little glimpses of your baby pictures and your adult personality, in each of them, daily.

They both share your desire for perfection. Your big eyes and long eyelashes. Your gift of gab and quick wit.

But raising sons is about a lot more than whose genes they carry. It’s about raising two boys who will someday become two men. The weight of this has not been lost on you.

When we found out we were having a second son, I watched you take a deep pause. You were so excited to continue the streak of having mini versions of yourself running around. But you understood this came with a lot of responsibility. You would be their role model; an example of what a man should be.

Our boys are so lucky to have you as their dad. Watching you interact with them makes my heart melt. The love you have for each other is the daily gift that keeps giving.

Thank you for playing Ghostbusters and landscapers, 542 times per day.

Thank you for wiping away their tears, and showing them that expressing their feelings is healthy and important.

Thank you for buying the expensive Paw Patrol band-aids, because those are the ones they like.

Thank you for being a real partner in raising them; my teammate, my co-pilot.

Thank you for helping me teach the hard lessons, like stranger danger and the difference between telling a lie and telling the truth.

Thank you for reading to them and spending quiet time together.

Thank you for doing all of the character voices from Mickey Mouse and Bob the Builder, because no one does it quite like Daddy.

Thank you for answering the million “WHY” questions from our toddler with thoughtful responses.

Thank you for recognizing their strengths, and playing to them, to help them feel confident and truly seen.

Thank you for showing them how to master things they aren’t so good at yet; thank you for your patience.

Thank you for entertaining 15-minute long bathroom breaks. Instead of getting frustrated, you treat it as quality one-on-one time.

Thank you for playing peek-a-boo with the baby—the way he belly laughs for you is a dream come true.

Thank you for snuggling them; your cuddles make them feel so special.

Thank you for letting them be themselves, even if it means they aren’t into exactly what you are.

Thank you for sometimes playing “bad cop,” even when you always wish you could be the “good cop.”

Thank you for always having surprise Amazon packages on hand for rewards.

Being a dad is So. Much. More than just providing shelter and a paycheck. Yes, that’s important. And thank you for how hard you work to provide that for us. But it’s also about being there. Really being there. For me. But mostly for our sons.

You are the most amazing partner in this wild parenthood journey and I thank you endlessly for all you do.

Love,

Your grateful wife

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