Recently one of my favorite magazines, GQ, interviewed Kanye West. People are always thinking he is crazy, narcissistic, and doesn’t care about anyone else, but this quote from the interview he had I felt was amazing:
“You just might not understand it yet. But it’s cool. Family is super cool. Going home to one girl every night is super cool. Just going home and getting on the floor and playing with your child is super cool. Not wearing a red leather jacket, and just looking like a dad and s#!+, is like super cool. Having someone that I can call Mom again. That s#!+ is super cool.”
See that, Kanye West is saying how cool it is to have a family, to be a father. This is the guy that everyone says is out of his mind because he is 20 years ahead of the rest of us. Well, pretty sure with this, he’s right on.
What exactly makes fatherhood so cool? It’s not just about being the person that your child goes to when they need money or being the provider for your family, it’s so much more than that.
The nine months that my wife was pregnant I got so much advice on how to be a father that it became a little overwhelming, but the thing is you really don’t know what you are going to do until that day comes and you are holding that little child in your arms for the first time.
I think that true fathers are there for every little moment they can be there for. I had to be at every doctor’s appointment because I wanted to know what was going on and have my questions answered that would come up. Didn’t matter how crazy they were, and believe me I had some crazy ones. But if you can’t make the doctor’s appointment that doesn’t make you a bad father, I just had to make it a point to be there for the first child. Will I go to them all for number two? I like to hope so, but life happens and it’s hard with work and supporting your family. I get it.
Then I always think, why does mom have to be the one to change the diapers, pick what your child will be wearing, or calm a screamer in the middle of the night. I try as often as I can to help with these things too. I don’t make my wife change the diapers because I feel like I am above that or that it grosses me out. I mean, anyone that thinks that cleaning someone elses poop off them is fun then you’re a little nutty. But I am just as able to get it done as my wife.
Calming a screamer though I feel though gets to be the hardest. So many times I think, “He’s hungry and if you just fed him he would be okay,” but that isn’t always the case. Just because your child is screaming doesn’t mean that they are hungry. Maybe he had a nightmare, or his stomach hurts, or just wants to be comforted. I can help with these things and will help as often as I can. Both my wife and I work (she teaches sewing during the summer) and so neither of us want to be up all night with a screaming baby. We want to sleep as much as we can so that our day is better, lets be honest, sleep makes everyone happier. When you have kids you tend to lose those privilege’s though. It was a choice that you made and they are completely worth it.
Fatherhood isn’t easy, but it’s so worth it. If only we all could give a little more and take time to sit and play with our children when we get home from work like Kanye, than I think that maybe we wouldn’t get such a bad wrap and then everyone would see how “super cool” it is to be a father.