Emmylou has a fantastic daddy. Not only do they enjoy playing at the house everyday (which is pretty convenient since Gary mostly works from home), he loves taking her out, just the two of them, to lots of fun places. Last Saturday, while I was hiking, yoga-ing, getting massaged and just flat-out relaxing at The Crossings (love that place!), Gary took Emmylou out to breakfast and later on to lunch followed by a stop at Terra Toys, a great toy store near our house.
And while I'm sure they look adorable out-and-about frolicking around these fun-tabulous places, the reactions he gets from people are unbelievable. He says they stop him constantly and tell him how cute he and Emmylou are, what a terrific dad he is, how much they enjoy seeing him and Emmylou playing, eating, walking, (breathing?) and so on and so on. And it happens time and time again! On the cruise, we had a deal where Gary could go to the casino every night (and I'd stay in with Emmylou to go to sleep) if he took care of her on the three days we were at sea (so I could lay by the pool without chasing a toddler). He told me that one day, after numerous people had stopped to lavish that never-seeming-to-end praise, that a couple actually offered to buy him a drink because he is "such a good dad!"
Now, I'm really happy that he and Emmylou get along so well and that I'm apparently married to the Father of the Year, but let me just contrast this to what I get when we're out and about...
On Friday night, I took Lulu to Phil's for a burger and to play on their playground. Just as I set her free to play and started looking around for whoever might find us so adorable they wouldn't be able to resist buying me a drink, a rather surly looking woman came up to me and said, "Uh, ma'am, those shoes she's wearing [points at Emmylou], uh, are those those Croc shoes?" And here it comes... the umpteenth time I've been told that unless I take those Crocs off her feet immediately, she'll have nothing but shredded stumps at the ends of her legs the next time we ride an escalator at the mall.
I smiled and said, "Yeah, I did hear about that [head tilt], but she's so small I always hold her on escalators. Thanks [another head tilt]."
Awesome.
7 comments:
That is too funny...Craig gets the same thing. Where I do get the "isn't she cute" bit....followed by she looks really hungry when was the last time you fed her etc.
No kidding.
Or, did you bring a hat for her? Or, don't you think she's cold/needs her diaper changed/is thirsty, etc., etc.
Moms get no credit sometimes!
yes definitely, the list could go on!!
In my next life I am coming back as a man :)
It is so true. I got to help a Mom out yesterday though.
I'm on a flight and the guy sitting next to me gets really annoyed because the little girl in front of us is making noise. Not crying, just talking and cute cooing. He turns to me, rolls his eyes and complains. Instead of giving him a look of solidarity, I used a line someone gave me..."She has just as much right to make noise as you do."
Needless to say, we didn't talk for the rest of the flight.
wow all this sounds awful. it is just sad that any dad who pays interest in being with their child is automatically praised because i "guess" that isn't the traditional man's role. Most people think that there is gender equality today, but the world in which we live is definitely a white man's world with women still assumed to play supporting roles.
As for the crocs issues, like there are any escalators at Phils!
They don't say anything to Gary because he's wearing the same pair of Croc's and his man Capri's!
Becca, you're an excellent mother!
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