Lately my daughter has been all about my wife.
“Mommy, mommy,” she cries.
There hasn’t been much daddy anything around here lately. I ask for a hug.
“NO!” she yells.
“Do you want to come read a story with daddy?” I ask.
“NO!” she yells.
Of course, I feel terrible because I want my daughter’s attention. Maybe it’s time to start introducing her to bribes. Maybe. Let’s offer ice cream and cookies and stuff like that.
Yeah right. That’s wishful thinking. Plus she’ll either one, get sick of it, or two, she’s only two years old, her teeth will rot out. I’ve talk to others about this and they said that it’s a phase. Before I notice it, she’ll be all about me.
Still, I’ve tried many tactics. I’ve taken a step back and tried to let her approach me for affection. I’m hoping she’ll ask me to play “a hundred kisses ,” the affectionate game that my wife likes to play with her.
I mean, everyone needs space, right? I am trying to figure out what kind of attention would appeal to this two-year-old daughter of mine. I carefully watch my wife interact with our daughter and I try to have the same interactions with her. But what I am beginning to understand is that “Mommy is Mommy” and “Daddy is Daddy.” We can’t fit into each other’s shoe.
In a way, it reminds me of growing up in a single parent household for what I think of as the prime years of my life: 11- to 16-years old. I can’t imagine how my mother felt trying to play both roles. As parents, we all bring something different to the table. We bring our hopes (hope that she wants kisses from daddy), dreams for our children (for her to feel that she has enough attention from my wife and I), and past experiences (of just my mom, sister and I going through the ups and downs of life together). Am I being selfish, only thinking of my needs while ignoring the relationship my daughter is building with my wife? I don’t know. This thought just popped up in my head. I think she’ll come around to paying more attention to daddy. In due time, young father, in due time.
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